


Eden

by DeePet



Series: Gotham!Reader [4]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: F/M, Happy Anniversary Red Headed Boy, I'm glad he's alive, Obsession, Smut, Violence, Ya'll know the drill, adoration, plot with some porn, slight non con
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-23
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-19 09:48:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 28,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9434330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeePet/pseuds/DeePet
Summary: Walking in the garden was a serpent-shaped heart and he told meWhat is broken cannot show, and less than beautiful is worse than unholyIdolized my innocence,Stole it from me in the endNow I’m wide awakened and still paying for the poison they sold meEden





	1. Let Me Paint A Picture For You

**Author's Note:**

> It's a me! Trash girl. Before anyone asks, I cannot for the life of me write Victor, and I've been trying believe me. Enjoy this instead.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let me paint a picture for you then I’ll have to teach you to see it.

 Jerome’s tongue ran over his teeth as he tried to ignore the bumping coming from his mother’s room. It was utter agony having to listen to her wanton moaning. He briefly considers getting up from his makeshift bed and bludgeoning both of them to death with a bat. 

The ginger gets up, but he doesn’t go towards the bedroom; instead he leaves his trailer, slamming the door behind him. He shoved his hands in his pockets and through the rows of mobile homes, glancing up at his neighbor's house. She wasn’t there. 

The boy frowned slightly and headed toward the big top, his stomach growling. He reached the tent and pulled the flap back slightly, smirking to himself. There she was. 

The object of his affection and obsession rehearsing with her sister. Her body bending in angles that seemed almost impossible. Her chest heaving as she tumbled through the air, her eyes trained in front of her, her feet pointed. She was gorgeous. She could probably touch her toes while he rammed into her from behind.

Jerome hid in the stands, watching her every move. They called her ‘The Porcelain Doll’, or the less formal, ‘dolly’, but he referred to her as ‘birdie’; at least he did in his head. He had never spoken to her, not directly. He just admired her from afar. He was waiting for his chance to ‘wow’ her. 

She had just joined the circus along with her sister and her sister’s husband. Her trailer was moved right next to his and every time she had a break she would sit on her roof, like a bird. Sometimes she would do yoga from her little perch, sometimes she would just read. She would look amazing all of those times. 

“Tighter!” His birdie’s sister screamed at her, “Do it again!” She complied, because she always complied; a true submissive. Jerome sneered all the same; he wanted to be the only one who told her what to do. He watched his bird glare at her sister when she wasn’t looking and snickered; she had fire behind those doe eyes.

She finished a trick and grinned at nothing, only for it to drop a moment later. He watched her bite her lip and nod as she listened to her sister’s notes. She opened a water bottle and took a long sip, a drop of water falling from the pout of her lips. 

Jerome blinked and bit his own lips, wishing he could be the water in that bottle. He watched her slide into her next trick; fitting into a little box. Her sister would put the lid on the rounded box then roll it around the tent until finally, she’d pop out of it like a stripper from a cake with a large grin and a wink. It was an alluring sight and all he could think about was locking her in a box and dumping it in the bay to see if she could really escape. Jerome exhaled lowly and clawed at his arms, needing pain to keep him from doing something he’d regret. 

His little bird was quiet, barely spoke a word to anyone, but when she would speak it would be quiet as a pin dropping. She was meek, a meek little contortionist with fiery eyes. She might have been fooling everyone else, but she wasn’t fooling him. She was just like him; hiding in plain sight. 


	2. Illustrate the Remnants of the Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Illustrate the remnants of the life I used to live here in Eden.

Your eyes fluttered open to the sound of your sister slamming the bathroom door. You groaned at the noise and rolled over in your bunk, wishing the day would be put off just a little bit longer; it never was.

With a sigh you rose from bed and stretched your arms high above your head, hearing cracks from your aching body. You ran a hand through your hair and walked into your trailer’s kitchen where your sister’s husband was doing the books for your shows. 

“Morning.” He greeted, his teeth a bright white.

You said nothing in return, just casting a nod his way as you fixed yourself a bowl of cereal. You walked back to your bunk and sat in it, closing the privacy curtain as you ate your breakfast. 

When the bowl was half empty, your curtain slid back and your sister’s eyes glared at you.

“What did I say about eating cereal?” She chided snatching the bowl from you, “You must eat fruits and vegetables to start the day, must stay lithe.” 

You rolled your eyes when her back was turned but nodded, hopping down from your bunk and going into the bathroom. 

You turned the shower on and let the warm water encase you, closing your eyes. You scrubbed yourself clean and brushed your teeth in the shower, having learned to save time. When you were finished, you wrapped a towel around yourself and dressed in your usual day clothes; a tight fitting black leotard with short jean overalls over them. Then, you placed your hair up in a bun, wrapping a ribbon around it. You exited the bathroom and placed light flats on your feet, they would be taken off soon anyway.

“Come on then!” Your sister yelled, having already been dressed, “We must start rehearsals for tonight.”

You nodded to her and followed after her and her husband to the big tent. All of the other acts had not yet awaken, though few lingered the grounds. But nobody rehearsed like the three of you did. 

Her husband pulled back the flap and you walked in, stretching once again. Your sister told her husband where to place all of your props while you stretched. 

You sat on the ground and easily leaned forward to touch your toes, then you spread your legs to the side and pressed your chest against the ground. You rolled forward into a handstand and stretched your legs high above you before rolling once more and landing on your feet. Standing up, you brought your left leg to your chest, then repeated the action with the right one. Finally, you slid yourself into a split and reached for your front foot, before reaching for your back one.

“Alright, dolly.” Your sister’s husband called out to you, “We're ready for you.” You nodded and removed your overalls and sneakers, padding over to him.

The family act that the three of you put on was an acrobatic/contortionist variety show. Your sister did most of the acrobatics while you did the contortions. Though sometimes the two of you would cross over to the other. Your act was called “The Dolls of Haly”. You hadn’t been with Haly’s Circus for long, only about a year, but you had been doing this act with your sister since you were old enough to tumble.

You were a very talented contortionist and you think it came from when your mother would lock you in a suitcase as a child, but whatever the reason the circus folk loved you. The audience that is, but the regulars thought you were sweet too; way nicer than that sister of yours or her leering husband. You were just quiet. You didn't say too much or too little. Behind your back, you were known as the ‘Porcelain Doll’ who just sat on her shelf and stared, while your sister was known as the ‘Barbie Doll’ who couldn't stop talking.

Your breath was shallow as you were fitted into a round box, your sister's husband put the lid on the box and it began to roll. You counted to twenty and on that number you popped out of the box with a flourish, waving your hands to an imaginary crowd. You then bent at the waist and grabbed your ankles, making yourself roll without the box. You stood up once again and waved at the crowd with a large smile.

“Good.” Your sister complimented, to your surprise, “Just what I was looking for. Now do some walking on the board.”

You nodded and walked up the steps of the balance beam, flipping over and walking across on your hands. 

“Now roll.” She called from her spot on the ground.

You nodded and made yourself round again, rolling across the beam. 

“Now flip!” She demanded and you nodded, bracing yourself as you front flipped on the beam. The first two flips went alright but then you lost your footing and almost fell, but your recovered by curling your back against the beam and hanging there like a snake.

You waited for your sister's response with baited breath but she just gasped, “That looks even better than I thought! Do that instead!”

You smiled and nodded, practicing the routine with a fall. At around noon, after six hours of rehearsal, the tent was starting to get packed. Your sister told you to take an hour break and and you obliged, shrugging your overalls on and leaving the tent.

You padded your way to the concessions area, where they were setting up for the night, and stood in front of the window. “Can I have a water bottle, please?” You asked, taking out a dollar from your pocket. 

The large, greasy man handed you a bottle and shook his head at your money. “How many times do I have to tell you; drinks for the carnies are free.” 

You smiled in thanks and walked to your trailer. You put the bottle in your pocket and climbed the ladder to your home, taking a seat on the roof of the trailer. You crossed your legs and took a swig of your water, looking over the circus grounds.

The roof of your mobile home was your sanctuary, you’d go up there to get away from everyone and usually no one would bother you. Sometimes, when you were really feeling low, you’d remove the ladder and use your skills to climb the roof, so no one could get to you. 

From your place above the tents, you could see everything; the Grayson’s numerous tents, the Lloyd’s tents on the opposite side, Haly’s large and luxurious trailer, the numerous carnival style games that lined the main strip of the circus, the concessions stands, the fortune teller’s tent, and the Valeska’s trailer. There were two ‘neighborhoods’ that were set-up on the grounds. The one you lived in had the Grayson’s, your family, and the Valeska’s. The one on the other side of the grounds housed the Lloyd's, the fortune teller, the clowns, and in the middle of both was Haly’s tent. 

A sound to the left of you made your head whip around and you saw a head full of red appear from the Valeska trailer. It was the snake charmer's son Jerome and he was carrying a water bucket, probably going to the well. 

Your eyes watched his every movement and didn’t look away, even as he glanced up at you. Your eyes met for a brief second before he turned away from you, walking off. Something was hidden in his green eyes, and the only way you knew that was because you had the same screen over your pupils. You could tell a lot from a blank look and you always wondered what was under Jerome’s mask. 

When your break was over, you climbed down the ladder of the trailer and jumped to the ground. Scratching your side, you turned to make your way back to the big-top, only to bump into someone. You apologized lowly and twirled around the person, making your way back to the tent. 

After five more hours of rehearsal, it was an hour to showtime. You were in the crowded dressing room tent watching on the side as everyone got ready. Faces were being painted, skin was being pushed into spandex and hair was being pulled into tight buns; the sights of the circus. 

When everyone had pretty much cleared out, you made your way to a place in front of the mirror, tugging your overalls and practice leotard off and putting on a more theatrical suit. It was a metallic pink with silver running up the sides. You brushed your hair back into a stringent bun and began to sew in the large bow your sister made you wear. You wiped a towelette over your face and then began to make yourself up, painting small doll lips on your face, extending your lashes and putting pink eyeshadow on. 

You looked up and spotted green eyes watching from behind you. You blinked and continued to powder your face, keeping your eyes on his. His gaze was almost predatory, his eyes only showing a sliver of green around a dilated pupil, and he did not blink as he stared at you. 

“Jerome!” A shrill voice sounded from behind the curtain of the tent. “Where’s my boa?” 

“I’m coming, mother!” The pale boy replied, hastily grabbing his mother’s accessory and running out of the tent. 

Your name was shouted soon after by your sister and it was time for you to put on a show. 

You came from behind the curtain with a huge smile on your face, moving your limbs fluidly like a doll would. You pretended to trip and rolled, making yourself into a ball. 

“The magnificent ‘Dolls of Haly’ have come out to play!” Haly announced from his play above everyone else. 

Your sister smiled brightly at you and you returned it, throwing your arm out in a flourish. You puckered your lips and widened your eyes, placing your foot behind your head as your sister did the same. 

Your act was simple enough; your sister would do an action and you would do the same, except adding something to it and pretending to out stage her. She would pretend to be angry and would ‘lock’ you in a square box, only for you to pop out. Then she would ‘lock’ you in a round box and send you rolling, only for you to pop out of that, too. The audience would laugh and jeer at the two of you and sometimes you would even get flowers thrown at the end. 

You didn’t particularly like all of the eyes on you, but it was the family trade. You had to make a living somehow. 

You cartwheeled across the bar that was elevated over the ground, pretending to slip and wrapping your body around the bar like a snake. The people loved that, they roared and clapped. You put on a ‘woe is me’ expression and pouted, swinging yourself up and sitting on the bar. Your sister shook her fist at you on the ground and you stuck your tongue out at her, jumping off the bar and landing in a roll to your feet. 

You extended your arms high above your head and waved, your teeth on full display in an overly made-up grin. You gestured to your sister and she bowed deeply, before standing straight and gesturing to you. You smiled and did your own bow, placing a foot behind you and dipping to the ground before bringing yourself back up, making the audience laugh at your sister’s grimace. 

The two of you did a series of flips until you were out of sight and behind a curtain being held open by her husband. 

“Great job, ladies!” He complimented, kissing your sister on the cheek. 

Your sister rolled her eyes, “Yeah, sure.” She turned to you with narrowed eyes, “Your feet weren’t pointed, maybe we should wrap them again to make sure you remember, hmm?” 

Your smile dropped and you looked down, nodding silently. “I’ll do better.” 

Your sister hummed and turned back to her husband with a grin, “Well then, let’s eat.” The two of them began to walk off and you slowly followed, but your sister glanced over at you, “Not you, you're looking a little pudgy in your costume,” She paused before adding your nickname to soften her statement, “Dolly.” 

You stopped in your tracks and swallowed, feeling tears began to prickle your eyes. You nodded silently and went another way, walking to the dressing room tent. You fidgeted with your fingers as you nudged the flap back, flopping into one of the benches in front of the mirror. 

You were never good enough.

You felt the tears well, so you quickly stripped out of your costume, replacing the suit with a sports bra and your overalls. You yanked the bow out of your hair as the tears fell, grabbing a makeup wipe from the counter and scrubbing at your skin until it was tinted red. You sobbed and placed your face in your hands, shaking your head. 

“She’s jealous of you.” 

You slowly raised your head from your hands and saw green eyes staring at you through the mirror, “What?” You croaked through your tears, your brows furrowing at the ginger boy. 

“Your sister,” Jerome clarified, walking out of the shadows and standing behind you, “She’s jealous.” He sat next to you on the bench and offered you his plate, which had a funnel cake on it. 

You sniffled and turn to face him, swinging your leg over the bench like he had. “Why would you say that?” You asked, shaking your head at his offer. 

“Well,” His light voice started, almost childlike though he was surely older than you, “You are a better contortionist than her.” He told you, pinching off a piece of cake and eating it. His green eyes were innocent as he looked up at you once more, “And prettier.” You face grew hot and your mouth dropped, a hand wiping your eye. He chuckled, “What am I saying? You don’t even know me.” He held out his hand to you, “I’m Jerome Valeska.” 

You sniffed, furrowing your brows, though you slipped your hand into his nonetheless, “I know.” 

“Oh.” Jerome chimed, flipping your hand over and staring at your palm, “I just thought, since we never spoke, that you didn’t. Being that you’re new here and all.” He traced the lines of your fingers as he glanced at it intently. “You want a palm reading?” 

“Not particularly.” You rasped, your throat dry from your tears. 

“Your heart line does not reach your index finger,” He told you anyway, his nose crinkling in concentration, “Which means you’re a selfish lover.” 

Your eyes widened, “Now wait a minute-!” 

“Your headline is short, so that means you prefer physical achievements over mental ones.” Jerome continued, tracing the last line on your palm lightly, making you twitch, “Your life line curves and is close to your thumb, which means vitality. And last but not least, your fate line.” He lifted your hand to his face and studied it a bit more, before looking up at you through his lashes, “It breaks off in the middle, which means your fate will be changed by an external force.” 

Your watched his pupils dilate for the second time that day and you narrowed your own, pulling your hand from his. “You seem different, I thought you were quiet.” 

Jerome shrugged, “I’m shy.” He explained, though you saw through the words. He stuffed more cake in his mouth and licked the sugar off his fingers, “Besides, that’s what everyone says about you, birdie.” 

“Birdie?” You asked, with furrowed brows. 

“Because you’re always on your roof.” The ginger explained, with a smirk lining his lips, though his words were innocent enough, “Perched, like a bird.” 

After his explanation you blink, hurrying to inform him, “I only speak when I have something to say.” Your eyes watched his fingers pick pieces of the fried treat with a watery mouth. 

“A good philosophy to live by.” Jerome smiled, catching your eyes on his hands. He lifted the plate to your face, “You sure you don’t want any?” 

You swallowed and bit your lip, before deciding, “Actually, no.” He chuckles at your answer and you reach for a piece of the fried dough. You yank off a small amount and place it in your mouth, savoring the flavor. 

“Good?” The ginger questioned and you nod, with a small smile. Suddenly, he reached over to you and his thumb swiped the side of your mouth. He stares at his thumb for a moment before sucking the substance off it, making you nearly choke. “You had a little something.” 

You nodded silently in reply and licked the side of your mouth, watching as his eyes shot down to the action. “Thanks.” You murmured, reaching for another piece of the treat. You take a bigger piece and shove it in your mouth to keep yourself from saying something idiotic. 

Jerome watched you silently and his gaze flickered down to your mouth, before leaning forward and placing his lips on your cheek. You blinked in surprise when you felt his tongue brush against the skin of your cheek, before he pulled back and looked into your eyes as he pecked your chin. His tongue followed, brushing against your skin there before he pulled back once more and pressed his lips against yours. 

You let out a slight gasp as he sucked on your bottom lip, before sliding his tongue into your mouth. You quickly reciprocated the kiss and brushed your tongue against his, placing a hand on his shoulder to keep you from falling forward. He tasted sweet, like the powdered sugar from the fried treat, and he smelt like smoke. You inched closer to him on the bench and felt his hand slide under your overalls, settling on the bare skin of your waist. 

You separated your lips from his to breathe and opened your eyes to meet his green orbs. In that moment you realized what you were doing and who you were doing it with. Backing away from the ginger, your face burned with embarrassment and you wrapped your arms around yourself.  

Jerome just picked his plate up and pinched another piece off, shoving it in his mouth. It was quiet between the two of you for a moment, the dressing room feeling small. You turned to your reflection in the mirror to expect your face before turning back to Jerome, “Did you get it?” You questioned him, referring to the nonexistent spot of sugar on your face.  

The ginger smiled at you darkly, his lips curling at the corners, “Yeah, I got it.” He assured you with a wink, not moving from his place in front of you. 


	3. Rolled a Lucky Pair of Dice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rolled a lucky pair of dice.

Jerome laid on his makeshift bed, his hands behind his head and a grin on his lips. He kissed her and she kissed him back. She was so soft, like a stuffed animal, and the way she grabbed his shoulder...

The ginger let out a quiet growl and dug his nails into his arms, scratching himself to fill an urge. He was slightly twitching now, his mind full of images of his bird. She was so beautiful up close, like her features were painted on. Her teary eyes shined like diamonds and her skin tasted of sweat. 

Jerome ran a hand through his hair and got up from the couch, stealing a cigarette from his mom’s box and sliding out the door without a word. He leaned against his trailer and lit his vice, puffing out smoke. He felt thoroughly fucked and he hadn’t even touched her yet. 

Speaking of the bird, his eyes danced over to her metal home, seeing one single light on. Shrugging his shoulders, he trotted over to the trailer. The window to the bathroom had a sheer curtain over it and the tall boy stood on the tips of his toes to see into it. 

He wasn’t disappointed. 

There she was the apple of his eye in a shirt and panties, brushing her hair in the mirror. Jerome moaned at the sight, biting his lip. She looked like an angel, even in the terrible glow of the bathroom lights. She tucked her hair behind her ears and put the brush down, staring at herself for a moment. Then, she raised a hand to her face and traced over the lines just as Jerome had done hours before. 

“Fuck.” The ginger muttered, taking the cigarette out of his mouth and stubbing it out on his arm. He hissed a the pain but his eyes stayed on his bird as she brought fingers up to her lips. 

The girl shook her head and gripped the edge of her sink, her eyes narrowing in the mirror. She hit the porcelain sink once and her brush fell down, making the girl bend down to retrieve it. 

With a tense jaw, Jerome dug his finger into the burn, trying to silence the impulses in his mind. The impulses that made him want to rip open that door and throw her over his shoulder like a fucking caveman. 

Suddenly, she turned her head toward the door before shouting something and leaving the bathroom, clicking the light off.

Jerome lowered himself and swallowed thickly, hastily returning to his home. He fell to his knees and shoved a hand under his ‘bed’ taking out a duffle bag with everything he owned in it. He unzipped the bag and dug around until he found what he was looking for; a red ribbon belonging to his bird. 

He had snatched it earlier that day when she bumped into him, or rather his planned to bump into her worked. He wrapped the ribbon around his hand and shoved his bag back under the couch, walking to the bathroom and locking himself in. 

The ginger kept the lights off as he sat on the lidded toilet, palming himself through his pajama pants. His thumb brushed against the ribbon and he let out a shuddery breath, imagining that his hand was hers. He tugged himself out of his pants and spit in his hand, taking a whiff of the ribbon as he began to stroke himself. 

Jerome imagined that she was there, kneeling before him with her pretty eyes looking up at him in wonder. Her hand wrapped around his prick and slowly teasing him. He would pull her hair out of that bun and tell her to go faster but she’d giggle and shake her head. Because his birdie was a tease. 

He increased his pace, as birdie had finally allowed him some kind of pleasure and stuck the ribbon in his mouth, pulling it against his tongue repeatedly. She was smiling now and batting her lashes at him, asking if it was all for her. 

It was, everything was for her because she was perfect. Amazing, more than he’d ever thought he’d be able to have. 

Jerome’s throat became dry as he felt himself coming. He took the ribbon in his mouth and wrapped it around his hand, feeling the silk around his prick. He increased his pace and imagined he was coming on his bird’s face, but when he opened his eyes it was only white tile. 

The ginger twitched and cleaned himself up, then the floor, and finally cleaning the ribbon in his sink. He shook it through the air to dry it before trying it around his wrist, covering the ribbon with his sleeve. He left the bathroom and laid back down on his ‘bed’, still thinking about the bird next door. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you tonight.


	4. Ended Up in Paradise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ended up in paradise.

The blood rushed to your head as you held your backbend, trying desperately not to shake. You breathed shallowly and kept your eyes trained forward, your determination showing on your face. 

It was your day off, but with a sister like yours, you never really had a full twenty-four hours without some kind of rehearsal. 

“Come on, dolly. When I was your age I could hold it for twenty minutes.” Your sister spoke from her place in front of you. 

Your chest heaved and you clenched your jaw, glaring at nothing, as you tried to hold it. Much to your chagrin, your body began to shake. You saw the glimmer of a smirk on your sister’s face and your eyes clenched shut as you crumbled to the ground, your limbs sore. 

“Hmm.” Your sister hummed in quiet delight, “Go get water from the well and do the laundry.” You heard the sound of her walking away and you opened your eyes.

You cursed quietly to yourself as you stood up, walking out the tent. You shoved your hands in your overall pockets and walked to your trailer, grabbing the laundry bucket. You trudged through the grounds, casting a small smile at whoever spoke to you. 

You trudged up the small hill that the well was set upon and placed your bucket at the spout of the well. You walked behind it and began to push the pedal up and down with all your strength. You watched the water began to trickle out and your expression turned to a solemn grimace, letting out all your aggression on the pedal. 

“What did that well ever do to you, birdie?” Jerome Valeska’s voice uttered from behind you, making your head whip around. 

You met his eyes but said nothing, turning back to your task. You heard the sound of a lighter flicking on and smelt smoke. You heard Jerome exhale lowly and glanced back to see him watching you with that same dilated gaze. 

“You’re not doing it right.” The ginger chimed and you rolled your eyes. You heard him walk up behind you and his hands covered yours on the pedal, his body pressing against your back. 

You whirled your head around to face him and he was at your shoulder with a cigarette in between his lips. “You gotta put more power in it, sweets.” He said, the stick bouncing with every word. He lifted up the handle and slowly pushed it down, his chest digging into your back and his pelvis pressing against your rear. “See?” He muttered, as the water poured into your bucket. 

You coughed a little at the smoke pouring out from his nose and his eyebrows raised in amusement. You removed your hands from the handle and dipped under his arm, moving away from him. You waved a hand in front of your face to get the smoke away. 

Jerome smiled and raised a hand to his lips, removing the stick and blowing out smoke. “Very impressive, birdie. Real talent is so hard to come by these days.” He jested, continuing to pump your water for you. 

“Smoking is bad for you, Jerome.” You stated, making him laugh. 

“So is everything that feels good, gorgeous.” Jerome retorted with a sly wink. 

You blink at him and pick up your bucket, walking away from the strange boy. You heard him jog to follow you, “Where’s the fire? What’s the rush?” 

“I have chores to do.” You informed him as some of the water from the bucket splashed on you. 

Jerome blew out smoke from the side of his mouth and dropped his cigarette, stomping it out. “At least let me carry the bucket.” 

“Look,” You start, stopping in your trek down the hill, “I appreciate you filling my bucket for me, but I see right through all your demure action, Jerome.” Your eyes searched his surprisingly calm face, “I see everything; the way you hunch over when other people are around, the way your voice softens, the facade you put up. I see the way you look at me and I don’t like it. That whole kiss thing was just a fluke because I was upset, but I really am just trying to keep my head down here and not make any trouble. And I’ve known boys like you before and they always end up making trouble. So thanks but no thanks; I can carry my own bucket.” 

You spared him one last glance, then looked forward, making your way back to your trailer. You put your bucket in front of your home and went inside to retrieve your laundry. You brought out the baskets and sat on a stool, washing every article of clothing separately. As you hung them up on the clothesline, you looked to the side of you and saw Jerome returning home, not sparing you a glance as he opened his door. The sound of yelling emitted from it only for it to be muted when the door slammed shut. 

You paused in your chore and stared at the trailer curiously, before stepping off your stool and walking over to the mobile home, being careful to avoid the large snake that sat outside.

“You fucking ingrate!” You heard, muffled through the walls, “I told you to get water and you come back empty-handed and smelling like fucking smoke?” The sound of a slap made you jump. “I knew you were stealing my cigarettes, Jerome!” Another slap. 

You moved away from the trailer and bit your lip, looking down at your bucket. You dumped the dirty water out and made you way back to the well. 

Just like Jerome had taught you earlier, you manage to fill up your bucket in ten minutes. You grabbed the large bucket and carried it back down the hill, being careful not to trip. You put your bucket down in front of the Valeska trailer and winced as you heard more screaming inside. 

You walked up their two steps and knocked your knuckles against the door, all of the yelling ceasing as soon as you did. The door opened slightly and Lila Valeska’s face peered from it, her eyes lighting up when she saw it was you. 

“Oh, dolly.” She greeted, opening the door up more, “What can I do for you, pretty girl?” 

“Hi Ms. Lila,” You greeted with a well practiced false smile, “I noticed that your laundry pal was empty and, silly me, I refilled mine thinking I had more laundry than I did. Did you want to use my water to wash your clothes? Seeing that I didn’t need it and I don’t want my hard work to be wasted. You know it is hard work getting water from the well.” 

“Such a sweet little girl.” Lila praised, a smile on her heavily made-up face. The were so many bruises on her neck, she looked like a spotted cheetah. “It so happens that my idiot son did not do his chores and retrieve water for me; so I would be happy to take your water.” She sighed dreamily, “I wish I had a pretty girl like you instead of a son like Jerome.” 

Your smile didn’t falter as you nodded, “Thank you, Ms. Lila.” You turned on your heel and walked back to your trailer, climbing your ladder and sitting on your roof. 

You watched the Valeska door open again and a redhead appear from it with a basket full of laundry. You watched Jerome dump the laundry in the bucket and a heap load of soap, before sitting on his step and lighting another cigarette. 

You widened your eyes and slid down your ladder, jumping down with a roll. You walked over to the bucket and got on your knees, “That’s not how you do laundry.” You muttered, scrubbing the clothing. 

“Thought you weren’t talking to me,” Jerome blew out smoke in your direction, “Your sending me mixed signals, with you being on your knees and all.” 

Your face grew hot but you continued to scrub the clothes, shaking your head. You glanced up at him and saw the pale skin of his cheek was stained red with a hand print. You averted your eyes, “Why would you do something like that if you knew she was going to hit you?” 

“Why am I talking to you when you’re just going to go back to ignoring me?” He retorted before answering his own question with a smirk, “What can I say I’m a masochist.” 

“It’s not funny, Jerome.” You told him, appalled that he would be laughing about something like that. “She’s your mom she shouldn’t be…” You trailed off, watching one of his eyebrows quirk up.

“You’re singing to the choir, sweets.” The ginger muttered, tilting his head. “But I have to say, you’ve got so much to say about me but you won’t tell your sister to go fuck herself.” 

You stopped your scrubbing and glared up at him, “It’s not the same.” 

“She’s your sister,” He mocked your voice shrilly, “She shouldn’t be…” 

“You know what? I don’t care anymore, wash your own damn clothes.” You snapped, throwing down the blouse and standing up. You marched away from him and into your own trailer, slamming the door behind you. 

When you went to get your clothes from the line an hour later, he was gone and your bucket was returned to you. You pulled all the clothes from the line and took them into your home to fold. 

The rest of the day was quiet, nothing happened out of the ordinary. You made yourself dinner, actually eating a proper meal for once, and got ready for bed. 

You pulled the privacy curtain back on your bunk and closed your eyes, hearing your sister and her husband come in, go to the bedroom and shut the door. You rolled your eyes at the couple and turned over in your bed, falling asleep.

You were awakened by a soft knock on the door. Your eyes fluttered open and you pulled your curtain back, unaware what was going on.

You jumped from your bunk and walked to the door, waiting for the knock to sound again. It did a moment later.

You opened the door and peered out through it, narrowing your eyes when you saw who it was. 

“Hey birdie.” Jerome whispered. He was leaning against the doorframe with a boyish grin, his face darkened by the absence of light. “Top of the mornin’ to ya.” He teased.

“What are you doing?” You whispered furiously, “If my sister sees you she’ll tell your mom.”

“I don't think the bitch would care.” Jerome rolled his eyes and turned his head toward the soft light on your trailer. 

You let out a quiet gasp; The right side of Jerome’s face was cut and bleeding with little glass shards peeking from the gashes. “Oh my God…” You muttered, “Come on.” You moved aside and let him pass you, before closing your door. You grabbed his hand and led him to the small bathroom of your home, shoving him inside and closing the door behind yourself. 

You clicked on the light and made him sit on the toilet as you rummaged through the medicine cabinet. You found the first aid kit and put it on the counter before turning to Jerome and softly moving his face to the right to get a better look at his cuts.

You took the tweezers from the kit and began to remove the glass. “What happened?” You questioned lowly, careful not to make too much noise.

“Well,” Jerome started, like he was telling a fairytale, “It was an ordinary day in the Valeska household. Some john came over, screwed my mother, they both got drunk and I got a bottle thrown at me. Thankfully my motor skills are top notch so I dodged it, but it burst beside my head.”

You shook your head at his nonchalant tone. “Why'd you come here though, Jerome?”

“It was closest.” He answered mockingly before chuckling, “And you're the only one that cares.”

“Everyone should care.” You mumbled, rubbing alcohol on his cheek. “I’ve only talked to you for two days and I have enough human decency to know that your mom shouldn't treat you like that.”

“Which is why you won't burn in hell like the rest of these fucking assholes.” Jerome said as you placed a bandage on his cheek. He looked up at you with a cheeky grin, “Don't I get a kiss? You know, to make it feel better?”

You rolled your eyes but a small smile graced your face. “Okay.” You agreed, “But only because you’ve had a rough night.”

“Doll, I’ve had a rough life.” He clarified as you leaned down to kiss his cheek. He turned and pressed his lips against yours, taking advantage of your gasp and sliding his tongue in your mouth. He continued to kiss you, taking your lower lip in his and he pulled you from your kneeling position onto his lap. 

Despite your brain screaming at you, you wrapped your arms around his shoulders and buried one hand into his hair. His hands slid up the smooth skin of your thighs and tugged your hips to his, grinding your pelvis down on himself.

Jerome groaned but it was muffled by your mouth, and you gripped his hair as you followed his lead, grinding yourself against him. A hand slid up your sleep shirt and slowly felt your bare back, fingertips brushing against your spine. 

Suddenly he stood, making your legs wrap around his waist, and he pressed your back against the bathroom wall. His lips left your mouth and he forced your head to the side, pressing them against your jaw sloppily. You stared at your reflection in the mirror and bit your lip, having to suppress the moans threatening to seep from your mouth. A gasp escaped from your lips when Jerome sharply nipped at the tender skin of your neck. 

A sound echoed from the next room caused you to freeze. Another nip at your neck made you gasp and your hands pushed Jerome away. “Wait.” You whispered, trying to listen for your sister. The sound of the bedroom door opening made you bite your lip, as did the footsteps walking past the bathroom. 

Jerome nuzzled his nose against your neck, brushing against your pulse. “Your heart is beating so fast, birdie.” He muttered, his lips next to your ear. 

“Jerome, stop.” You pleaded lowly, your eyes staring into his and trying to convey a message. If your message was received, he ignored it, pressing his lips against yours instead. You stayed silent and waited to hear something else, while the redhead nibbled on your bottom lip. The footsteps passed the bathroom again and the bedroom door closed, the sound of the lock turning following shortly after. 

You pulled back from the kiss and shook your head, “Put me down, please.” Green eyes burned into you as you were set on your feet once again. You twirled around him and busied yourself with putting your first aid supplies away. “You can stay the night but you have to leave before anyone wakes up.” You muttered, not looking up from your hands. Arms circled around your body and pale hands fell over yours. 

“A sleepover so early in the relationship? Dr. Ruth would be proud.” Jerome uttered into your ear before placing his lips on it. You flinched away from him and turned around in his arms.

“If you’re going to stay here, there will be none of that.” You watched the unnerving glint never leave his eyes and you asserted your point further, “I mean it, Jerome. Everything I said earlier still counts. We can be friendly to each other and any time you need patching up you can come over here but we can’t keep kissing me like that.” You said, repeating it for yourself, “You can’t keep kissing me like that.” 

Jerome set his jaw and his eyes searched your face before a grin spread across his lips, “Whatever you say, gorgeous.” He replied, one of his lids dropping in a wink. 

You narrowed your eyes at his tone but nodded nonetheless, too tired to object. “Good. We can share my bunk.” You opened the door to the bathroom and took his hand, turning the light off. You led him to your bed, turning to him in the dark. You climbed up the ladder and scooted back until your back hit the wall, then Jerome followed after you. 

You looked out into the dark at where you think his eyes would be, according to the breath that was currently hitting your face softly. “Good night.” You whispered, flinching when a calloused hand brushed against your face. 

“Good morning, birdie.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tomorrow.


	5. Landed On a Snakes Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Landed on a snakes eyes.

Jerome was having a difficult time in the small space of his bird’s bunk. She was so close to him, just right there. He could reach out and touch her, if he wanted. He could wrap his hand around that pretty little neck and choke the life from her. He could place a hand over her mouth and force her to be quiet as he took her. 

The ginger boy was ecstatic; only the second day of speaking and she had let him in her house and her bed. It had to be a new record. He hated his mother with every fiber of his being, but he supposed she deserved a ‘thank you’ for giving him a reason to knock on birdie’s door. 

He wondered if she knew how pretty she was or how hard she made him. He watched her dark outline rise and fall with every steady breath and balled his hands into fists, wanting desperately to touch her. All he had to do was reach out and she’d be-

His bird rolled over in that moment, grabbing  _ his _ arm and laying her head on  _ his _ shoulder. His hand was now in between those warm thighs and his arm was tucked between her breasts. Jerome’s teeth clamped down on his lip to keep him from groaning aloud. She was a restless little thing, as now her legs stretched out and intertwined with his. 

The ginger reasoned with himself. She touched him first, so it would only be fair for him to touch her. An eye for an eye in a sense. 

With a sure hand, he buried his fingers in her scalp, slightly tugging. A low moan came from his bird and he smirked to himself, pulling her hair a little harder. Her body twitched against his and he let go of her, instead placing his palm against the outside of her thigh. She was gripping him like a vice and he froze when her arm wrapped around his torso. 

Jerome was becoming painfully hard, his erection rubbing against the hard fabric of his jeans. He needed relief but if she woke up it could ruin his entire plan. But then again, she was right there. What other opportunity was he going to get to do something like this?

Just as he was about to unbutton his pants, his bird let out a little sigh, letting go of him and rolling over to the other side of the bunk. Jerome glared at her back, silently cursing her in his head. He reached up to yank her back to him by her hair but thought better of it. Instead, he trailed a finger down her spine, laughing as she squirmed away from his hand. Raising his brows, he slipped a hand under her shirt and ran his fingers up her side like a spider, rejoicing when she let out a laugh. 

His bird was ticklish. 

The ginger smirked and unzipped his jeans, nudging them down a tad to free himself from the tight fabric. He let out a sigh as he tugged his prick out of his boxers. 

“Real quick.” He muttered to no one, jerking himself off to her back. “ _ Real _ quick.” The pale boy leaned forward and nuzzled his nose into her neck, taking a deep whiff. He couldn’t help himself and his tongue flicked out to taste her skin. He thrusted into his into his hand as he sloppily pecked her skin. His bird shrugged him off of her neck, turning over to lay on her back. 

Jerome’s eyes widened and he looked to the heavens whispering a silent ‘thank you’. She was now totally exposed to him and he planned to use that. 

“Let’s see, what first…” The ginger trailed, before his eyes fell on her hard nipples beneath her shirt. “ _ Oh. _ ” He let go of himself and slowly, ever so slowly, rolled her shirt up to expose her chest. “Fuck.” He sat there mesmerized for a moment watching her tits rise and fall with every breath she took. 

Jerome leaned his head down and nuzzled his nose against one of her nipples first, before lapping at her hardened peak. He ran his teeth over the bud and felt her twitch, though his green eyes were on her face the entire time. Her expressions were delectable and they changed with every flick of his tongue. 

“Pretty bird.” The boy sung lowly, pecking her skin. He returned a hand to his prick and slowly continued to pleasure himself, moaning against her. He leaned up and kissed her lips, using his tongue to pry them open. Dipping his tongue in her mouth, his other hand slid into her panties, stroking her bare skin. She jerked a tad, her brows furrowing but she still breathed evenly. 

His bird was a heavy sleeper.

Her pussy was soft and her clit was slightly swollen; even in her sleep she was enjoying what he was doing to her. Jerome grinned and grazed his teeth against the skin of her jaw, allowing his fingers to dip inside her. He got a choked moan in response and she slightly arched into him. His bird’s neck was exposed, so carefully, as to not leave any marks, he placed open mouthed kisses all over her skin. 

The boy was close, very close and as he raised his finger to his lips to taste her, his eyes rolled back and spurts of cum shot from him and onto her leg. “Shit.” He muttered under his breath, “That’s good.” He chuckled lowly, licking every last drop from his fingers. “Ya wanna taste?” The ginger questioned to his sleeping lover with a snicker. He pressed his lips to hers and dipped his tongue inside her mouth. 

“I guess I should clean up, huh?” Jerome muttered, tucking himself back into his pants and using his bird’s sheet to wipe his cum from her leg. He rolled her shirt down and laid on his side, watching her face in the dim light of the bunk. 

“I’m going to steal you and make you mine, little bird.” The boy whispered to her through his teeth, his hand on her stomach. “I’ll put you in a little cage and take you out when I need you. Only I get to play with my pet bird. But I’ll let you fly free sometimes, only if you come back to me though. You’re such a pretty bi-!” He was interrupted by a loud breath and just as her eyes popped open he closed his, feigning sleep.

“What?” He heard her whisper, then he felt her hand cover his on her stomach, only to remove it. He kept his face blank, even as he felt her shift to her side and wrap an arm around him and cuddle into his chest. 

Her eyes closed just as his opened and he smirked down at her. 

 


	6. Took a Bite and Ended Up Bleeding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Landed on a snake's eyes, took a bite and ended up bleeding.

The days flew by and the circus was now in another city, somewhere called that started with a ‘g’. All the cities you visited seemed to run together, so you had a hard time keeping track; everyone looked the same behind the bright lights anyway. 

The tent was being raised for the show tonight, so there was no rehearsal allowed until it was up. You were gathering all the clothes from your trailer, dressed in your trusty overalls with a hamper on your hip. Your hair was tied back as always and your face was bare. Your sister and her husband were nowhere to be found, leaving you all alone for the moment. 

You opened the door to the trailer and put the basket down by the steps, grabbing your laundry bucket to fill with water. You began your trek to the well of the new town, thankfully it was not on a hill. 

On the trail to the well, footsteps padded up behind you and an arm was slung around your shoulders. “Pretty bird.” Jerome cooed, as if you were a parrot, and followed it with a whistle.

You rolled your eyes. “Get off.” You scoffed, elbowing him away from you. Your bucket was taken from you with a cackle. 

You and Jerome were… friends? You guessed you could say that much. He didn’t try anything else with you romantically, though he still made sly comments about your appearance, but that was just the redhead’s nature. You still saw that dilated look he gave you anytime you caught him staring, but you could ignore that… for now.

At any rate, the two of you were seen together more and he got you to talk. You’ve said more words to him than you had to anyone in years and it was refreshing, even if it was mostly teasing.

“How are you today, Tweety?” Jerome questioned, his usual smile on his face. 

“Fine, Sylvester.” You quipped back, crossing your arms. 

The ginger chuckled, “That’s fitting,” He noted before his smile dropped and he leaned closer to you, “He did want to eat Tweety, after all.” He finished, chomping his teeth at you obscenely. 

You stared at him boredly, though your face became warm. The two of you reached the well and you took your bucket from him, standing at the ladle and beginning to pump. Jerome stood at the side, lighting a cigarette and exhaling smoke through his nostrils. 

“Jerome,” You muttered, furrowing your brows, “You stole her cigarettes again?”

He shrugged in response, his tongue flicking out to lick at his lips. He put his cigarette back in his mouth, “What can I say? It’s my only vice.” He replied, the stick bouncing. He blew out smoke and lowered his voice, “As much as I want another one…” 

Your face flushed and you turned to him with narrowed eyes, “I’m sure your hand is a good enough substitute.” 

Jerome whistled, smoke coming from between his lips along with the sharp sound, “That stung. Wanna kiss the burn to make it better?” 

“If you’re nice.” You teased, going to pick up your bucket. Jerome beat you to it with a grin and a wink. 

“I have a proposition for you.” The redhead said in a mocking voice fit for an old western movie. 

You stuck your hands in your overalls, furrowing your brows. “What is it?” You questioned uneasily, biting your lip afterwards.

“Well my mother is going out tonight and probably won’t be back until tomorrow morning.” Jerome started, shrugging his shoulders, “I was wondering if you wanted to come over after the show. I’ll cook you my special.” 

“Your special?” You asked, watching a grin spread over his face. 

“Ham and cheese sandwiches.” He elaborated and you laughed loudly. “It’ll be a friendly dinner among friendly people.”

You blinked and bit your lip to hide your smile as Jerome put down your bucket in front of your house. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Jerome echoed, raising a brow. 

“Okay. I’ll come over after the show.” You told him, grabbing your dirty clothes and putting them in the water. 

“Great.” The ginger replied, walking backwards from you, “I’ll clean up the ole cabin. See you tonight, Tweety.” 

“Bye, Sylvester.” You retorted with a smile. His door slammed shut and you got to work, scrubbing at the clothing in the bucket. You got done and hung up the clothes to dry, dumping out the water from your bucket. You went into your trailer and grabbed a book, then climbed onto your roof. You read until you heard your sister’s shrill voice call your name for rehearsal. 

After two hours of back flips, front flips, cartwheels and spread eagles; you were in the back getting ready for the show. You puckered your lips in the mirror and reached into your bag to get your eyeliner. When you looked up again, you saw the reflection of your sister’s husband behind you. You clenched your jaw and decided to ignore him, leaning forward and lining your eyes in black. 

“You look pretty, dolly.” He muttered, “Don’t you think that you look pretty?” You didn’t answer, instead opting to apply mascara. “Your skin looks so soft and supple, not like your sister’s sunken in cheeks, and your lips are so… pink.”

You stood up suddenly, proclaiming, “I have to get dressed.” You made a move to leave but he grabbed your arm, yanking you towards him. 

His eyes were dark and you could see yourself in them. His lips had a slight curl to them as he inquired, “Do you need any help?” 

“Please let go of me.” You pleaded, terrified. 

“I don’t want to.” He had the nerve to pout, “You know what I want to do?”

Your stomach dropped and your heart began beating quickly. Tears welled up in your eyes and you shook your head slowly. 

He smiled maliciously and leaned towards you, only a hair away until your sister walked into the room. “Dolly you’re taking such a long-!” She stopped and her husband let go of you. She looked between the two of you with narrowed eyes, before turning to her husband. “Leave.” He did and she turned back to you. “How dare you?”

Your eyes widened and you shook your head, “W-w-what?”

“I knew you were a little minx but I would have never imagined my own sister would try to seduce my husband.”

“I didn’t!” You exclaimed, looking at her incredulously. “I swear, I didn’t. He’s been coming on to me for months, you have to believe me!” 

She glared at you and reeled her hand back, slapping you in the face. Your head was whipped to the side by the force of it and your hand flew to your cheek. She took another step towards you and pointed her finger in your face, “You’re lucky we have a show to do.” You opened your mouth to protest but she held her hand up, turning to walk away. “I don’t know where you’re staying tonight,” She shouted behind her as she left, “But you better not come home.”

You watched her leave, tears rolling down your face. You let yourself cry for a moment more, hiding your sobs behind your hand, then you reapplied your make-up, got dressed and went out to perform. 

Nothing could be seen from the audience; no trace of betrayal, sadness or hurt. Your smile was just as big and your stunts just as polished. When the show was over you were too scared to go back into the changing tent, you didn’t want to run into your sister, so you headed to Jerome’s house completely in costume, makeup and all. 

You rapped your knuckles against the metal door and waited, wiping your eyes so he wouldn’t see the tears that had already began to fall on the walk over. The door was opened and Jerome was presented with a large grin. He looked at your costume and chuckled, “Couldn’t wait to see me?”

You tried to smile back but it fell before it could reached your eyes. Jerome’s face fell and his eyes narrowed. He ushered you into the trailer and closed the door. 

You bit your lip and looked around the mobile home; it looked the same as yours, only there was no bunk. Just one bedroom at the end and a couch, which you guessed Jerome slept on. On the table was two plates with sandwiches on them and two cokes with bendy straws. Candles were littered around the trailer and a single flower was placed between the plates. 

You sniffed and turned around, seeing Jerome quietly fuming by the door. “Do you have something I can change into?” You whispered, your voice wavering. 

Jerome nodded, walking past you and bending down. He pulled out a duffle bag and handed you a shirt and a pair of sweatpants. “Bathroom’s right there.” He rasped, pointing a thumb behind himself. 

You nodded and went into the bathroom, locking the door behind you. You looked up and your reflection stared back at you in the mirror; painted and smudged. You swallowed thickly and turned on the water, scrubbing at your face until your skin was irritated. You dried your face then reached behind you, only to remember that you couldn’t unzip your costume alone. 

Begrudgingly, you opened the door to see Jerome already standing there, his eyes blank. You silently turned around and he unzipped your jumpsuit. You closed the door again and stripped, trading the costume for the clothes he gave you. You let down your hair from it’s pompadour and opened the door once more, leaving your jumpsuit in the bathroom. 

You padded over to where Jerome now sat at the kitchen table and sat down, folding your leg under you. “Looks good.” You said smiling, only for it to fall when you saw his expression. You looked down at your sandwich, taking a sip from your coke, “I told you about that stare.” 

“What did they do?” Jerome questioned lowly, his eyes narrowed at you.

His tone sent a chill through you and you shuddered, biting your lip. “It’s nothing, really.” 

“Birdie.” The redhead snapped, his teeth bared as his fists hit the table. You jumped a bit. “Don’t. Lie.” He spoke through his teeth.

You sighed and tucked into yourself, playing with your hands in your lap. “He touched me again.” You murmured, not looking at Jerome. “He almost…” You paused and blinked away your tears and shook your head, “My sister walked in just in time but… She thought I was the one who initiated it. She said I was trying to seduce him or something…” You let out a low sob and wiped your nose, “She told me not to come home tonight.” You frowned and looked up at your friend, who was digesting this information with a clenched jaw. 

A moment later, a smile spread across his face, his own special, slightly unhinged smile. “Well it’s a good thing you have me then, huh?” 

You sniffed and rubbed your eyes, “What are you talking about?” 

Jerome chuckled and took a bite of his sandwich, “You can stay with me tonight, birdie.”

“Oh.” You muttered, taking a bite of your own sandwich. “I can’t believe she-!”

The ginger shushed you, shaking his head. “No bad thoughts in the Valeska house.” He said, before crinkling his nose and bursting into laughter, “Okay that was a lie.”

You smiled and let out a little laugh, making him smile at you. You smiled back, only for it to falter when his gaze fell to your cheek. “Um,” You started, putting your hand over the bruise, “This sandwich is amazing. Is this cheddar?” 

Jerome’s gaze lazily met your eyes again, “American, tweety.” 

“Well it’s good Sylvester.” You retorted, with a smile. When he didn’t return it you bit your lip, “Don’t look at me like that, it doesn’t hurt that bad.”

“Birdie I’m an expert,” The ginger drawled, leaning forward, “I damn near have my doctorate in slaps, and that looks pretty bad.” He rose from the table and opened the freezer, taking out an ice tray. He got a ziploc and placed ice in it, then rolled it up in a paper towel. “C’mere.”

You obeyed and stood up, walking over and standing in front of him. He placed the makeshift icepack on your cheek and held it there, not letting you take it. The two of you stood there for a moment before you felt uncomfortable under his dilated gaze. You turned your head and placed your unbruised cheek on his chest and your arms around him. You felt him put his chin on your head and his other arm wrapped around your waist. 

“Jerome.” You whispered and you felt him nod. “Your heart's beating so fast.” His chest rumbled against your cheek and you heard him chuckle breathlessly. 

“You’re kinda in my house for the first time, birdie.” Jerome muttered, “And your body is on mine, if my heart weren’t beating so fast it’d be a sure sign that I’m dead.”

You laughed and tilted your head up, looking at him again with a grin. He winked at you and your face flushed, “Stop.” You whined, pushing away from him, “I think it’s better now.” You said, feeling your cheek. “Thanks, Sylvester.” 

Jerome said nothing in reply, instead his eyes were focused on you. The usual green tint they had was overpowered by black and if it were any other day it would have scared you; but for some reason, it didn’t. 

The ginger placed his hand on top of the one on your cheek, lacing your fingers together and pulling your hand away. Your eyes fluttered closed as he slowly leaned towards you and brushed his lips against your cheek. 

The warmth pushed through the coldness of your skin and you shivered. You opened your mouth to speak but your words were swallowed as Jerome pressed his lips against yours. His tongue slipped into your open mouth immediately, his arms wrapping around you and pulling you closer. 

It had been a while since he had kissed you, citing your plead for friendship, but the kiss took you back to that first night you met. 

You buried a hand in his short ginger hair while the other was around his neck. He nipped at your bottom lip and out of reflex you tugged on his hair, making a delicious groan emit from him. He groped the fat of your ass and you echoed his earlier moan, nearly whining as he separated your lips. 

“You gotta breathe gorgeous.” He noted with a smirk. 

“I don’t want to breathe, I just want you.” You declared breathlessly, leaning up to kiss him again. You pressed your lips against his and groaned in his mouth, as he picked you and carried you to the back of the trailer. He unceremoniously dropped you in the middle of the bed, both of you still attached at the mouth as he leaned over you. Your hands grabbed at him wildly, just as his did the same to you. He was so close, but you wanted him closer. 

Jerome’s palms slipped under your shirt and touched your bare skin for the first time, making you sigh into his mouth. He separated your lips and hovered above your face as he palmed your breasts, running his fingers over your hardening nipples. Your face twitched and you leaned up to kiss him, but he stopped you forcing you back against the bed with that dilated look that made your stomach do flips. 

“Jerome,” You started in a whisper, “Don’t look at me like that.” You finished with a meek expression, your cheeks warm. 

The ginger broke out of his trance and grinned at you, leaning down to nuzzle his nose against yours, “Don’t be shy, beautiful.”

“I’m not.” You protest weakly, your breath catching when he pressed his lips to yours again. He bit your bottom lip and smiled against your mouth. 

“Liar.” He muttered, pulling away to lift his shirt over his head. You swallowed from the bold move and tensed up when he tugged at your shirt. “Birdie,” Jerome muttered, furrowing his brows, “Are we going too fast?” You didn’t answer right away and he turned red. “I didn’t mean to pressure ya, or anything. It’s just that I’ve been kinda thinking about this since you moved next to me.”

“You're my best friend.” You whispered as he leaned back and sat next to you on the bed. You sat up too and looked away from him, “And I really,  _ really  _ tried to convince myself that I didn't have feelings for you but I do.” 

It was silent for a moment and you didn’t dare look at his face. Finally, his voice broke through the quiet, “I…” He paused before breathing out, “Adore you, birdie.”

A warmth pulsated through you but you still shook your head, murmuring, “I know.” 

“You don’t.” Jerome replied with a dry chuckle, “From the moment I saw you I knew you were made for me. You were just like me. Hiding in plain sight, pretty and deceptive. You saw through my facade. I knew I needed you as much as I would make you need me. I worship you, I would do anything you said. I’d kill for you, birdie.” 

“That sounds more like obsession than love, J.” You whispered with a frown before shaking your head, “You really don’t mean any of that. We’re kids.” 

“Oh how wrong you are.” He rasped, before placing his hands on your cheeks and turning your head towards him, “Look at me, pretty bird.” His thumbs brushed against your cheeks and your eyes flickered to his. “We are far from kids, birdie, and you know it. We’ve lived enough for two lifetimes. We’re lonely souls, bound together by pain.” 

“J, we literally just met three months ago.” You said, biting your lip. “You act like we’ve been together for an eternity.”

“We have, birdie; don’t you see?” Jerome exclaimed, letting go of your face and grabbing your hands, “We were born for each other; me for you and you for me. I knew it from the moment I saw you. You’ll be my assistant and I’ll be the ringleader, babe.”

You saw the sincerity in his eyes and slowly started to smile, before teasing, “Why do I have to be an assistant?” 

Jerome’s grin mirrored yours and his thumbs brushed against your hands, “Not an assistant,  _ my _ assistant.” 

You laughed and he let go of one of your hands to place it on your cheek. “Do you mean it?” You questioned in a whisper, searching his green orbs. 

“All of it.” Jerome replied without blinking. “We’ll leave, get away from this stupid fucking circus and start our own.”

Something about him made you believe every word he said. You could tell he meant it. You bit your lip before leaning forward and kissing him. You separated your lips from his and muttered, “You sure you mom won’t be home?”

Jerome smirked at you in that moment and shook his head, pushing you back down on the bed and kneeling over you, tugging at your sweatpants. Your face flushed but you inched your body up, allowing him to pull them off of you. He pecked your lips before slipping his hands under your shirt to palm your breasts again. 

“You’re so soft.” Jerome whispered, pressing a kiss to the side of your mouth, then your jaw, and finally the juncture of your neck and shoulder. You sighed, and gripped his head by his hair, lightly pulling it. 

The pale boy groaned against you and moved slightly, taking your shirt off. Even from the soft glow of the candles around the room you could see Jerome staring at you, his eyes flickering over your body like he was trying to memorize every detail. Out of nowhere it seemed, he began to grin, but not the slightly off grin you had gotten used to. It was different somehow, but you didn’t have too much time to think about it as Jerome took one of your nipples in his mouth and pinched at the other one. 

You moaned, twitching at the feeling. It was slightly painful but his mouth was so soft it negated the small nibbles to your skin. He switched nipples with a wink, licking a trail to the other one. While you were focused on the green orbs gazing up at you, you didn’t even notice his other hand trail down until you felt fingers roughly press against your cunt through your panties. 

You inhaled sharply and he narrowed his eyes at you, his hand slipping under your waistband. As soon as his index finger touched your bare clit, you bucked, crying out loudly. 

“Birdie,” Jerome hummed against your skin and you looked to him once more, biting your lip. “You’re so wet already.” Your face flushed as he nuzzled his nose against your skin, “I didn’t even touch you yet.” He accentuated his point by making a tight circle around your clit. He laid on your chest for a long moment, simply petting your cunt but never entering you, a pensive look on his face. 

“What,” You started, your voice hoarse, “What are you doing, J?”

“I’m trying to decided if I want you to cum by my fingers or mouth first…” The ginger trailed off, sliding a long finger inside of you. You gasped and your eyes widened slightly, making him grin. He slowly began to spread you with his finger, twisting it as he worked. Grazing his teeth over a nipple once more, he added another finger, scissoring them to spread you open. “I bet you taste like candy.” The ginger murmured against your skin, removing his fingers from you and tasting them. “Fuck,” He breathed, smiling up at you, “I was right.”

In a wink, Jerome was in between your legs, grinning up at you fiendishly. He slid your panties down your legs and bent them back, folding you in half. “You’re so pretty, birdie.” He breathed over you, his warm breath licking at your skin. He returned the two fingers into you and flattened his tongue against your clit, lapping at the bud roughly. 

All you could do was grip the sheets and twitch, whispering his name. Jerome gripped your hips and pushed your cunt tighter against his mouth, sucking hard on your clit as your back arched off the bed. 

He was eating you like he missed your taste, like he was starving and you were his favorite meal. It was ravenous and depraved as he grunted against your skin, you couldn't help but be in heaven.

Jerome’s short nails carved little moons into your skin as he tightened his grip on you. You hissed at the feeling, flinching slightly at the pain. Green eyes looked up at you in fiendish delight, almost reveling in the fact that you were hurt.

Before you could question it, his fingers were inside you and hooked upwards, brushing against your spot over and over again. You bit your lip and held your legs open for him, yelping when he bit into your thigh. 

“Come on, birdie.” Jerome muttered your name through his teeth, as you clamped down on his fingers. “Come  _ on. _ ”

You huffed out his name and threw your head backwards as you felt yourself beginning to cum. You were finally pushed off the ledge when Jerome lapped at your clit in rhythm with his fingers. “J. J. J. J.” You repeated under your breath, wrapping your legs around his head to keep him there. 

The ginger removed his fingers but continued to smack his lips against you until you were shaking. “No more, J.” You whined with a stutter, trying to close your legs.

“But birdie,” He mouthed against you, “You taste so  _ good _ .” He grunted, sliding his hands under your ass and gropping it. Finally, the ginger leaves your cunt, pressing open kisses all the way up your body. He kisses your lips deeply, forcing his tongue into your mouth. 

As he’s kissing you, his hands find yours and pin them down to the bed, his intense grip a little painful. He pulled back from your lips with a smack, but only to hover over your face. “Do you trust me?” He questioned, looking into your eyes.

You furrowed your brows and nodded eagerly. “With my life.” Your answer pleases him and he grins, letting you go and disappearing down the hall for a moment. He returned with a rope in his hand and your eyes widened, pulling your legs under you. “What the-!”

“You're a contortionist right?” Jerome questioned rhetorically, with a chuckle, “I got an idea.” He smirked before tightening the rope in his hands, “ _ Trust me. _ ”

You bit your lip and thought about all the things he said to you that night and all those times he could have hurt you and he didn't before nodding. “Okay.”

Jerome grinned and climbed back on the bed, tugging your feet from under you. “Just lay back, pretty bird.” He hummed, watching you with blown eyes. You did as you were told and he chimed, “Good girl, now grab the headboard.” You obeyed, grateful that he was only going to tie your hands. “Now bend your legs back.”

You blinked and followed the instruction, your eyes widening when he began to tie your hands and feet to the headboard. You tugged at the rope and it did not loosen, much to your chagrin. You were a little unsure about the whole thing, but it was Jerome and you trusted him. 

Your back was now flat against the bed and your legs were bent at the knee. Your cunt and your asshole were now on full display and you were a little embarrassed to be seen that way. 

“Comfortable?” Jerome questioned, his hands running up your legs slowly. 

“Y-yeah.” You stammered, tugging at your binds again. 

“You look so pretty all tied up, Tweety.” The ginger murmured with a smirk, “All vulnerable and waiting for me to touch you.” He rasped as he started to drag his nails across her skin. “I’ve wanted to do this since I first saw you, all wide-eyed and nervous.” He licked his lips and trailed his tongue from your asshole to your clit, the rope keeping you from jumping. “Why were you so nervous?” The ginger mouthed against your cunt, flicking his tongue against your entrance. “You were always so  _ perfect _ and now you’re mine.” His hands caressed your skin, before cupping your breasts. “So,  _ so _ pretty.”

Jerome puckered his lips against your sensitive clit again, sucking hard. He used his thumb to pull back your hood and brushed against the bare nerve with the tip of his tongue. You cried out, all it being too much. You pulled at the rope at your wrist, though all it did was irritate your skin. Your eyes widened to the size of saucers as you felt Jerome’s tongue probing at your other hole. 

“Anybody ever touch you here, birdie?” Jerome whispered against your skin, his thumb rubbing your clit in slow circles. You swallowed and shook your head, biting your lip as he smirked at you. He flicked his tongue against the puckered hole, a hand cupping one of your cheeks. He dug his nails into the fat there, his thumb getting faster on your clit. “How much you wanna bet that I could make you cum from just this?” He teased wickedly, slowly sliding his tongue inside of you. 

It was a new feeling and it was a bit peculiar. You felt so tight down there but the feeling of being stretched was nice; it helped that Jerome’s dark eyes were looking up at you as he did it. It felt a little dirty and who better to do dirty things with than the redhead in between your legs?

Jerome’s hand was placed on your breast again, twisting your nipple and rolling it between his fingers. The offset of the pain was the pleasure you were feeling in your ass and you hissed as he slid a finger inside. The ginger grinned at the sound and cooed, “I know, I know. It’ll get better. Here.” He leaned up and lapped at your clit, making you throw your head back. 

After a few minutes, you started to moan at the feeling of the finger in your ass, unintentionally tugging at your binds. Your toes curled and you felt yourself began to cum again, a grimace on your face. “J,” You started but he mouthed against your cunt. 

“I know, pretty bird.” The ginger muttered, increasing the pace of his finger and sucking hard on your clit. You shuddered and a muted scream came from you as he brought you over the edge, tears lining your eyes. You let out a whine as your body shook, unable to move like you really want to. Jerome pulled his finger out of you and you shuddered again, moaning when he pressed a kiss against the pucker again. You heaved out breath through your mouth as you waited for whatever was coming next. 

The ginger lifted himself up and pressed his lips against yours, nuzzling your nose as his tongue played with yours. He pecked your lips over and over again, before doing the same along your jaw and then the juncture of your neck. His focused all his efforts there and took the skin in his mouth, sucking it hard then digging his teeth in it. You moaned and tugged against the ropes, wanting nothing more than to touch him. 

“J untie me.” You begged breathlessly, pouting when he pulled away to look in your eyes. “I just want to touch you.” 

Jerome grinned, nuzzling his nose against yours. “No.” He whispered, kissing your nose. 

“But-!”

“I said no.” He snapped with a sneer, placing his hands on each side of your body to hold himself up. “I’m the boss here, birdie.  _ I’m _ in charge and I said no.” His expression faltered and he grinned at you again, raising his brows, “I don’t have to  _ gag _ you do I?”

You shook your head silently, blinking up at him when he reached down to line himself up at your entrance. He tapped his tip against your clit and you jolted, well as much as you could. He stared into your eyes intensely as he pushed his cock inside you, not stopping until your pelvises were against each other. He pressed his lips against yours and you sighed against them, feeling completely filled. After a moment, he moved his hips back before thrusting into you deeply, making your body bounce. 

“Fuck you feel good.” Jerome muttered against your lips, burying a hand into your hair and moving your head to the left, putting his lips right by your ear. He pulled out to his head and snapped his hips forward again, getting a choked moan out of you. He groaned, “It’s like your pussy was made for me.” He thrusted into you again, flicking his tongue against your ear, “And my cock was made for you, birdie.”

You sighed in content, biting your lip as the adjustment period ended and Jerome fell into a rhythm. His thrusts were all deep and digging, and you could feel his breath catch every time he pushed into you. “You feel so good, J.” You murmured, your breath constantly being taking from your body. You turned your head and pressed your lips against his face, humming when he pressed his lips against yours. 

“Say my name.” The ginger demanded, his tongue licking at your lips. 

“Jerome.” You acquiesced quickly, looking into his eyes. 

“Do you belong to me?” Jerome questioned, thrusting into you deeply. “Tell me you belong to me, birdie.” He ordered through his teeth.

You opened your mouth to reply, when he snapped his hips again, the words being caught in your throat. His eyes were as deep as pools and for a second you thought you could see past all the masks and facades; you could see desperation. “I belong to you, J.” You whispered sincerely, pushing your head up to kiss him as sweetly as you could. 

For a moment, you saw something flash in his eyes, but you couldn’t focus too much on it because Jerome had started fucking you into the mattress. His pace increased and his body held yours down. Your head knocked against the headboard but you didn’t have time to feel the pain, instead feeling yourself cum  _ again _ . Your cunt tightened around Jerome and he grunted, his eyes snapping shut as he whispered filthy things into your ear. You clenched your teeth together and your eyes rolled back in your head, as he reached a hand down and rubbed circles on your already sensitive clit. You wanted to cry at the intensity of your pleasure, but you couldn’t even get coherent words out of your mouth. “Fuck, J you feel so good oh my God I can’t take it please don’t stop-p.” You stuttered, feeling as if you were melting into the mattress. Bright, white light flooded your vision and you felt nothing but earth shattering pleasure. Tears slipped out of your eyes and your nails dug into your palms so hard, blood started to run down them. 

When your vision returned you saw Jerome’s green eyes looking down at you and you bit your lip as your over sensitive cunt was still being used. You shuddered as he removed his prick from you and kneeled in front of your body, jacking himself off quickly. “Look at me, birdie.” He demanded through his teeth and you did, looking up into his eyes. He groaned and dug his teeth in his bottom lip, huffing as he came on your stomach, the white ribbons painting your skin. His chest heaved with every breath he took and he swallowed thickly as his motions came to a stop. He leaned forward on his hands and kissed you again, bringing a hand up and burying it in your hair. “We belong to each other now.” He muttered against your lips before kissing you again. 

A moment later you were untied and cleaned up, lying beside a smoking Jerome with your head on his shoulder. You clasped his hand in yours and drew on the lines of it, mimicking what he did to you when you first met. 

“What’s my fortune, birdie?” Jerome teased with a smirk, blowing smoke out the side of his mouth. 

You hummed and pursed your lips, pretending to check. “Your fate will be changed by an external force.” You mimicked him, making the ginger laugh. 

“You’re the only force I need, Tweety.” He remarked lamely, winking at you. It still was enough to make you smile and you reached for his cigarette and took a puff, coughing as the smoke filled your lungs. 

“Nope, still disgusting.” You grimaced, giving it back to him. 

“Aw,” Jerome cooed, pinching your cheek, “My little birdie wants to be like me.” 

“Shut up.” You retorted with a roll of your eyes, laying your head back down on his chest. “Are we really going to runaway? Or were you just saying that?” You whispered after a moment of silence. 

Jerome’s fingers drew random lines on your back as he replied, “I meant it, babe. _ I’m _ going to get us the fuck out of here.” 

You nodded, believing every word, and pressed a kiss against his skin, before closing your eyes and falling asleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, the joy of writing Jerome smut again!


	7. Serpent-Shaped Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Walking in the garden was a serpent-shaped heart and he told me.

Jerome laid on his side with his head propped on a pillow, gazing at the lovely bird that was in his bed. She had fallen asleep hours ago, though he had too much to do to sleep. He brushed a hand against her cheek and she leaned against his palm in her sleep. 

He couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face. She was his, she belonged to him. He would do anything to protect her.  _ Anything. _

Jerome’s eyes narrowed as he thought about her whore of a sister and her husband. He had something for them for hurting his little bird. For  _ striking _ her face. For  _ bruising _ her skin. They would be dealt with soon enough. 

He leaned forward and pressed his lips against her forehead before getting out of bed and sliding sweatpants on. He walked to down the hall and opened the door to the closet, watching with bored eyes as his mother’s body fell out. 

“Sorry about the noise.” Jerome snickered, “I kinda have company over, hope you don’t mind.” He grunted, lifting the corpse up and dragging her to the door. “I think you know her, ma. It’s the girl from next door.” He walked back to the closet and grabbed a spare sheet, before wrapping it around the dead woman’s body. “She’s real special.” He muttered, kicking the door open and picking up his mother’s corpse. 

Jerome looked around the small neighborhood, watching for any witnesses. He met eyes with Sheba in her cage and sneered, “Stupid fucking snake.” He stuck out his tongue at the pet and spun on his heel, walking behind the trailers and looking for somewhere to dump the body. He found a carriage full of hay and grinned widely, dropping the corpse on top of it.

The ginger whistled a song as he poised her body, taking the bloody sheet and balling it up. “Well this is it, mom.” He proclaimed with a grin, “I would love to say how much I’ll miss you, but truth is I won’t. I kinda have a new family now, me and my girl are going to get out of here. And you won’t have shit to do with my life anymore. I won’t be your punching you stupid fucking whore. I hope you’re having a great time burning in-!” A rustling behind him made his head whip around, seeing the blind old fortune teller. He smirked to himself before putting on an act, sniffling as if he was crying.  

An hour later, Jerome was on the move again, though he passed by his own trailer to go into birdie’s. Not bothering to knock, he slipped into the unlocked home with little difficulty. His feet silently padded against the carpet of the cabin and he began to whistle again as he grabbed a knife from the counter. The metal gleamed in the moonlight and he smiled at his reflection in it, stopping in front of the bedroom door. He tried to doorknob and found that it was unlocked. 

They were dead within ten minutes. 

Jerome heaved as he pushed the corpses on the floor, sighing in annoyance at the mess he had to clean up. He changed the sheets on the bed and made it to seem like they never came home. Then, he stuffed the corpses in the closet and locked it. Finally done, he cleaned the blood off the knife and placed it back in its woodblock, leaving the trailer to return home. He shut his door as quietly as he could and jumped in the shower, washing all of his sins away. 

After he was physically clean, he got back in bed with his bird, the girl wrapping her arms around him in her sleep. Jerome pecked her lips and buried his nose in her hair, taking a long whiff. 

“You’ll thank me later.” He muttered, finally being able to close his eyes and drift off to sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this is getting interesting. Also, follow me on my [fanfiction tumblr](http://deepett.tumblr.com/) , I answer question and stuff and things.


	8. What Is Broken Cannot Show

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What is broken cannot show, and less than beautiful is worse than unholy.

Sunlight blinded you as you awakened the next morning, still nude and entangled in Jerome’s body. You squinted at the light and turned your head to the clock on the nightstand. When you saw the time your eyes widened and you quickly got up from the bed, wincing at the pain between your legs. 

You picked up Jerome’s shirt and put it on, followed by his sweatpants. You looked back at the sleeping ginger and smiled smally, leaning down and pecking his lips. With one last look you hurried back to your trailer, opening the door quietly. 

You held your breath as you peeked down the hall, only to see the bedroom door open and the room empty. No one was home. 

You furrowed your brows but shrugged it off after a moment, grabbing some clothes and locking yourself in the bathroom. You turned the shower on and caught a glimpse of yourself in the mirror. You were going to have a hard time hiding all of the marks on your neck. 

The memories from the night before flashed in your brain and your face grew hot. You turned away from the mirror and stripped, ready to shower away the debauchery. The water felt nice and you cracked your neck as the drops beat against your back. 

As you showered, you thought about Jerome. It was very nice of him to let you stay over last night and he cooked dinner, even if that dinner was sandwiches. Still, he didn’t have to do any of the things he had done for you, but he did. It was sweet of him and maybe you were wrong about him. 

You cut the water off and wrapped a towel around your body, stepping out of the small cubicle. You weren’t really in a rush as you dressed yourself in overalls and a black off the shoulder leotard. You stepped out of the bathroom and grabbed a book, leaving your trailer to go to the roof. 

You watched the clouds slowly pass by in the sky as you laid on the roof of your trailer. Your book was abandoned beside you and you were very serene, taking what little break that was given to you and milking it for all it was worth. You breathed in the clear air deeply and exhaled, the action making everything seem lighter. You closed your eyes and raised yourself in a backbend, reveling in the feeling of your stretched muscles. 

The sound of footsteps clunking up your ladder did not bother you, that is until the a low whistle cut through the silence. You opened your eyes to see the darkened figure of Jerome. 

“Yes?” You inquired, lifting yourself up then sitting down with your legs crossed. 

“Easy,” Jerome drawled, sitting next you and swinging his legs over the roof, “I brought you food.” He dangled an apple in front of your face and you rolled your eyes, taking it from him. 

“Thank you.” You uttered, taking a bite. You turned toward the boy who was munching on his own apple, “What’re you doing today, J?” 

“I didn’t know you were a poet.” Jerome quipped making you laugh, “Not much, birdie. I was just about to head to the well for a smoke when I saw you perched on your ledge.” 

You raised an eyebrow, “Where’d you get the apples then?” 

Jerome’s smile faltered like you had caught him in a lie but it soon returned, just as bright. “Nothing get’s past you, pretty girl.” He noted, boping you on the nose, “I got the apples and hoped you would be up here, which you always are by the way, and brought one of them to you. Would you have rather breadcrumbs?” 

“Oh ha ha.” You dryly replied, placing your apple core beside you, “This whole ‘bird’ thing is getting old.” 

“But that ‘doll’ thing isn’t?” The redhead retorted, leaning towards you, “These other idiots call you a sculpted piece of porcelain while I compare you to one of the most majestic animals in the kingdom. Speaking of,” His gaze flickered to behind you, and he lowered his voice, “Where do you hide your wings?” 

“You’re so funny. Why don’t you have your own act in the show, Jerome?” You inquired, bumping him with your shoulder.

“Patience, gorgeous.” Jerome murmured, his words marred by the cigarette now dangling from his lips. He lit a match and held it to the stick, puffing it, then shaking the flame away. “I’ll be the star in no time and you’ll be my lovely assistant.” He said in that raspy tone of his, the one that he only had when the two of you were alone. 

“Assistant.” You muttered with a roll of your eyes.

“Yeah.” Jerome nodded, blowing smoke out the side of his mouth. He wrapped an arm around you and held his hand out, making a frame with his fingers, “Picture it! Large stage, bright red curtains open up and you saunter out in somethin’ pretty. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Please welcome to the stage, Jerome Valeska!’ The crowd goes wild! ‘Ahhh! Woo!’” 

You rolled your eyes but a smile played on your lips, “Go on.” 

“That’s all I got so far.” Jerome muttered, one of his arms falling but the other was still around your shoulders. He took a puff of his cigarette and then offered it to you. 

You grimaced, “No.” 

“So pure.” Jerome mocked, pinching your cheek and laughing when you smacked his hand away. He leaned closer to you and murmured in your ear, “You weren’t so innocent last night, birdie.” 

Your head to whipped to the side and you pushed him, “Don’t say that so loud.” You whispered fiercely with a frown. 

Jerome just snickered, tapping his cigarette to make the ashes fall. “Why not, pretty bird? You’re my girl after all, I want to shout it from the rooftops.” He declared before raising his voice, “BIRDIE AND I-!” 

You interrupted him by placing a hand over his mouth and pushing him backwards on the roof, straddling him in a quick motion. “Shh!” You hissed, feeling him laugh under you. “Not funny Jerome!” 

“Bery phunnie buhdie!” The ginger retorted beneath you, flicking his cigarette over the side of the trailer and cupping you ass. You removed your hands from his mouth and huffed, making a move to get off of him. “Where ya going?” Jerome questioned in a rasp, tugging you down to lay flat on top of him. 

“J stop, someone’ll see.” You whispered, looking down at him with furrowed brows. 

“I’ll let you go if you give me some sugar, Tweety.” Jerome bargained with a grin that would shame the devil. The nuisance had the nerve to pucker his lips.

You rolled your eyes and pressed your lips against his, half expecting him to pull a trick. He doesn’t and lets you sit up, raising his hands in surrender. 

Your eyes swept over his face and you held in your smile, moving away from him. “As nice as this was, I have to go stretch before I get to rehearsal.” You stood on the roof and brushed your hands over your bum, heading for the ladder. 

“I can help.” Jerome offered, but you shook your head. 

“I got it.” You replied with a shrug, “Thanks.” You hopped to the ground and shoved your hands into your pockets. 

“I’ll see you later, birdie.” Jerome shouted from your roof. 

You gave him a thumbs up and made your way to the big top. Your sister and her husband weren’t there, so you checked the dressing room. You were a little concerned but you had rehearsed without them before, as it was the same routine every night. You figured they probably just went out or something. 

You dropped your overalls and began to stretch, extending your legs in front of you and bending at the waist. You went through a whole routine of yoga but your sister and her husband still didn’t turn up. Instead of stressing about it, you went on with your rehearsal, going through the show by yourself. 

A couple of hours later, the audience was flooding into the tent.  

Your face was painted and you were applying your lipstick when two of the Graysons walked up to the mirror in the dressing room. 

“I’m telling you Gina,” Amber Grayson said to her sister, “Lila is probably just in some guy’s bed.” 

“But to miss her set though?” Gina frowned, wiping the sweat off her nose, “Yeah she’s a whore but she likes attention, too. Hey dolly.” She greeted you as an afterthought. 

You smiled at the both of them as they left, the faux expression falling when they were gone. Jerome’s mother was missing? 

You frowned and shook your head, continuing to get ready. It was probably nothing. She was known to disappear during the night, anyway. Besides, Jerome had already told you she was going to be out. The Grayson’s should really just mind their business. 

Five minutes until you went on and your sister was still missing. She had never been late to a show before and you were starting to get a little worried. 

Ten minutes passed by and you were now wiping off your show makeup, humiliated after having to tell Haly that you couldn’t go on tonight. You changed out of your costume and sniffed, sitting on the counter. 

Was she that mad at you about last night? Maybe she was doing this to punish you. She knew you didn’t like going on alone. Maybe she and her husband had planned a getaway without you. They had done it before, though it was on your day off. 

You were brought out of your thoughts by the sound of the flap opening. You looked up to see Jerome. “Hey J.” You greeted, sniffling. 

“What’s wrong, pretty bird?” Jerome questioned, standing between your legs. 

You frowned and wrapped your arms around him, looking into his green eyes. “My sister is missing. I asked around and no one knows where she or her husband is.” 

“So?” The ginger spoke evenly while raising a brow, “You sound worried.”

“I am!” You insisted, blinking up at him, “She’s my sister. Sure she’s rough around the edges but-!” 

“Rough around the edges?” Jerome repeated before laughing mockingly. “She’s a bitch.” He stated plainly, shrugging his shoulders. 

You hit his chest and narrowed your eyes, turning your head to the side, “She’s my sister. She’s all I have.”

Frowning, Jerome gripped your chin and gently turned your head to make you look him in his eyes. “You have me, birdie.” He rasped, leaning down to nuzzle his nose against yours. 

You searched his eyes before nodding and whispering, “I know. I’m just worried, J. It would be one thing if we hadn’t fought yesterday but she’s mad at me. I think I’m more so scared of what will happens when she gets back.” You finished, your eyes beginning to water. “I mean, what if she kicks me out?” 

“I could help you with her,” Jerome offered lowly, rubbing your arms soothingly, “If you want.” 

You silently shake your head, “I don’t know what you could do, J. She’s my legal guardian, she gets all the money, I… I don’t even know a life away from the circus.” You got choked up and bit your lip, stopping yourself from sobbing as a tear fell down your cheek. 

The redhead nodded in response to your words, before chuckling lowly, making you look up at him in shock. “Birdie…” He trailed, hovering over your face, “You remember that day at the well? When you told me you saw me? The real me?” He waited for your response with a raised brow and you nod silently, “Well I see you. The real you. And you’re not quiet or dim or even submissive, as much as I want you to be. You’re talented. More talented than your whore of a sister or her idiot husband. And I see that in you. But do you really see yourself?” 

Your lashes flutter and your furrowed your brows, rubbing your arm. “I…” You muttered, before biting your lip, “I don’t know.” 

“The thing is,” Jerome smirked, leaning forward, “You do. You’re smarter than everyone here, birdie. Everyone except maybe me. I can see your hurt and I want to help make it better. Will you let me help you, birdie?” 

You chewed on your lip and looked up at him, your mind racing. You weren’t sure what you were agreeing to but you opened your mouth and muttered, “Okay.” Another rogue tear fell, “What are you going to do?” You whispered, searching his eyes. 

Jerome smiled in that slightly unhinged way he does and his eyes twinkled. “It’s already done.” He informed you, pressing his lips against yours. You kissed him back and wrapped your arms around his neck, allowing him to push you against the dressing room mirror. His hands ran up and down your legs and you moaned in his mouth as the kiss deepened. 

You pulled away to catch your breath and Jerome buried his head in the crook of your neck, sucking at the tender skin there. “Someone will see us, J.” You muttered to him, exhaling shakily as he bit into your neck. 

“Shows not over, Tweety.” Jerome whispered into your neck, before pressing his lips against yours again. He leaned away from you and you pouted, looking towards the entrance nervously. The ginger rolled his eyes, “Fine, we’ll be quick okay?” 

Before you could nod you were being lifted off the counter and turned around, Jerome bending you over. You were face to face with your reflection and you blinked as your overalls were tugged down your legs, leaving you in a black leotard. 

You saw Jerome smirk through the mirror then felt hands groping your ass. You nearly jumped out of your skin as he smacked your ass. He snickered behind you and tugged your leotard to the side to palm your bare cunt. He slid two fingers inside of you and bent over your body, looking into your eyes through the mirror. 

“I always wondered if you wore panties under these things.” He teased with a grin, pecking your cheek when you averted your eyes. The ginger pressed his thumb against your other hole with a snicker, “You’re so cute.” He muttered, as you let out a low whine. “Let me see those peepers.” He buried a hand in your hair and loosened the bun, wrapping the ponytail around his hand and tugging your head back. 

Your gaze returned to his and you bit your lip as he withdrew his fingers. You heard his pants hit the ground and soon after he pushed himself inside you, his cock filling you up. Your breath caught and he kissed your shoulder, wrapping an arm around your middle. 

Jerome laughed breathlessly as you reached back to bury a hand in his hair. He thrusted into you roughly and you tugged, making his eyes flutter closed. He snapped out of it a moment later and straightened his back, grabbing onto your hips and ramming into you.

You threw your head back and put a hand over your mouth to mute your cries. Jerome let go of one of your hips and rubbed fast circles on your clit, his brows furrowed in concentration. 

When the familiar feeling of your climax began to throb in your abdomen, a crash sounded outside of the dressing room. Your head whipped around and you met Jerome’s eyes over your shoulder. You pushed him off of you and hurriedly put your overalls back on, while the ginger leisurely pulled his pants up. 

You ran a hand through your hair to straighten it out, then ran out of the tent to the big top. You looked into the ring and all you could see was the Graysons and the Lloyds duking it out like animals. You hear Jerome’s laugh behind you and an arm was thrown over your shoulder. 

“Is it terrible that I find this hilarious?” He spoke over the commotion, snickering as a clown got thrown down. 

You giggled yourself and shook your head, “No.” 

Jerome laughed loudly again and pulled you into him turning to whisper in your ear, “Wanna go back to my place, gorgeous?” He questioned, licking at your ear. 

You smiled and nodded, allowing him to lead you back to his trailer. On the way there, somehow you ended up riding on Jerome’s back, laughing as he ran. 

“Don’t drop me!” You squealed, gripping his neck. 

“I wouldn’t dream of it, birdie!” Jerome yelled back, coming to a stop in front of his home. He put you down and opened the door for you, bowing deeply. “Milady.”

“What a gentleman.” You teased, walking into the house and jumping when he smacked your ass. The door closed behind you and you were lifted up again, Jerome carrying you to the bed. He laid you down and hovered over you, looking into your eyes as he slowly leaned down. You closed your eyes and met him halfway, when there was a knock at the door. 

“Son of a bitch.” Jerome groaned, getting off of you. “I’ll be a second gorgeous,” He assured you before winking, “Don’t move.”

You nodded and laid back down on the bed, hearing the door shut. You heard voices outside and after awhile they began to fade away. 

After thirty minutes of waiting, you decided you would do something cute. You took off your overalls and bra, lying on the bed in just your black leotard. You ran a hand through your hair and waited, anticipation moving through you. 

After an hour of waiting, you were discouraged. You were hugging a pillow and biting your lip in thought, worried about your red headed lover. 

After two hours, you had fallen asleep, half naked and alone. 

At around two o’clock in the morning, you were awakened by light pecks on your shoulder. You blinked yourself awake and turned around in the bed, your eyes widening when you saw Jerome. 

“What happened?” You questioned, your voice hoarse from sleep. Your eyes searched his face and narrowed at his red eyes. 

“My mom’s dead.” Jerome whispered, his voice cracking. “Someone killed her. The police wanted to question me about her.” 

“Oh my God.” You muttered, wrapping your arms around him. You hugged him tightly and pulled back, looking in his eyes once more. “Do they know who did it?”

Jerome shook his head silently and sniffed, looking away from you. “I hated her. I wished she was dead so many times but I never thought…” He paused and you frowned, laying your head on his shoulder. 

“I’m sorry, J.” You whispered sincerely, as he wrapped an arm around you. 

“I just don’t want to be alone, you know?”  The ginger rasped, and you felt a tear hit your face. 

“You’re not, J.” You assured him, pulling back and smiling sadly, “You have me.” You paused, slowly kissing his cheek, “You’ll always have me.” Arms wrapped around you and your embrace once again, lips brushing against your forehead. 

You held each other for the rest of the night, completely unaware of what would happen in the morning. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drama comin', Drama comin'!


	9. Idolized My Innocence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Idolized my innocence, stole it from me in the end.

Your foot tapped against the tiled floor of the police precinct. You were currently in an interrogation room, a two way mirror to the left of you, and you had been waiting for a few minutes. Someone had came in and brought you coffee when you first got to the station but all activity had stilled since then. 

That morning, Jerome had gotten a call and had to come into the station. You were half awake when it happened and barely conscious, so you thought nothing of it. That is, until you got a call to come down. 

You had never been in Gotham before, but the downtown area was something off of the television. Growing up, you were never allowed away from the circus. You hadn’t even been to a library or a diner in your life. You were admittedly sheltered and you weren’t sure if it was more for your benefit or your family’s. 

Sometimes you felt as if your sister would expose you to things because she was scared you would leave; maybe you would. If you were being completely honest, you wanted to go to school. Go to college and make a name for yourself. A name that was ‘dolly’. You wanted to have a voice. For people to listen to you. The only person that listened to you was Jerome. 

If you were to go to school, you figured you could be a psychiatrist or a social worker. You wanted to help people and tumbling around a stage wasn’t helping anyone. 

Today was the day for a lot of firsts. You took your first taxi ride, that was an experience for the ages, and you saw your first skyscraper. You also had never seen a policeman in real life, only on tv, but now you had seen your share. You had gotten your first cat call when you stuck your leg out to exit the cab and sitting in front of you was your first cup of coffee. 

The door to the room opened and you looked over to it, smiling at the man and woman entering the room. 

“Hello,” The man rasped in a deep voice, “My name is Detective James Gordon and this is Dr. Leslie Thompkins.”

“Hi.” You greeted politely as the two sat in front of you. “You were at the circus yesterday.” 

Detective Gordon nodded and placed a file on the table, before crossing his hands. “You didn’t go on stage last night.” He stated, raising his voice at the end of his sentence. 

“Yeah,” You nodded, slightly embarrassed, “My sister didn’t show up to rehearsals and I don’t like performing by myself.”

“I asked around, everyone said you two are quite good.” The detective complimented before smiling, “You a little better than your sister.”

You shook your head, “I don’t think I’m better than her…” You trailed, biting your lip. 

“How was your childhood?” Doctor Thompkins questioned, “Were you always in the circus?”

You nodded, fiddling with your fingers. “I was born into a contortionist family. My mom used to be a really famous performer, but she fell from the highwire and was paralyzed. It turned her really, really bitter and she decided that to live through us.” You swallowed, blinking, “She used to lock my in suitcases and boxes for hours to make sure I could fit. She would make us sit in splits to help with our flexibility. We would be forced to tumble and flip through the air for hours on end. It was torture but mom died when I was nine and my sister took her place.” 

Doctor Thompkins nodded, sharing a glance with the detective, “When did your sister’s husband come into the picture?” 

Your face blanched and you played with the pleats in your skirt. “Um, I was thirteen. She met him at a show and he told her he could double our money. She believed him, she got pregnant, they got married, she lost the baby and they were trapped.” 

“I see,” The doctor frowned, her eyes soft, “Do you like him?’

“He’s okay.” You whispered, not looking at her. 

“Okay?” Doctor Thompkins raised her brows, “What does that mean?”

“I mean,” You started, shrugging your shoulders, “I wouldn’t marry him.”

“Do you know why your sister didn’t show up for rehearsal yesterday?” Detective Gordon questioned you, raising his brows. 

You shook your head, looking into his eyes. “We had a big fight the night before, so I figured her and her husband had taken a vacation or something. They’ve done that before without telling me. I’m sure she’s fine.” 

Detective Gordon hummed, opening the file on the table and pulling out a photograph. He slid it towards you and tapped the table, “Do you know this boy?”

You looked at the photograph of Jerome and nodded, furrowing your brows. “Yeah.”

“What’s your relationship with him?”

You blinked, “He’s…” You paused, thinking about it, “He’s my friend.”

“Friend?” Doctor Thompkins asked, with a little smile, “Or boyfriend?”

Your face warmed up and you shrugged, “A little bit of both, I guess.”

“Were you aware that Lila Valeska, Jerome’s mother, was found dead?” Detective Gordon questioned.

You nodded, frowning, “Jerome told me last night.”

“Last night?” The detective repeated with raised brows. You averted your eyes and nodded, embarrassed. “Did you have a relationship with Ms. Valeska?”

“Well yeah,” You nodded, blinking in confusion, “We were neighbors.”

“How would you describe her?”

“Ah,” You paused, racking your brain for an answer, “She was… nice? Kinda. She got around, everyone knew that. My sister didn’t like her because she thought that Miss Valeska slept with her husband.” You looked at the mirror and leaned forward, lowering your voice, “Sometimes, I would hear screaming from her trailer and crashing. Then I’d see Jerome leaving with marks on his face. Um, there was one time in particular that she threw a bottle at Jerome and it burst by his head.”

“Really?” Doctor Thompkins hummed as she wrote something down. 

“Yeah. The woman adored me but… I felt bad. For Jerome.” You added, biting your lip. 

“Did your sister ever hit you?” Detective Gordon asked, his face blank.

You hesitated before nodding and shrugging it off, “It’s how we were raised. Mama always had a tight leash on us girls and my sister just mimicked that.”

“How did your sister feel about your relationship with Jerome? It seems she was very strict.” Doctor Thompkins noted, her kind eyes on yours.

“She didn’t like him, on a count of his mom.” You recounted, licking your lips, “But it didn’t matter to me. She always keeps me from things that I enjoy, afraid that once I have something better, I’ll leave her.”

Detective Gordon got up from the table and began to walk around, putting you on edge. “Were you aware that your sister and her husband were missing?”

“Missing?” You repeated in alarm, before realizing what he said. “Were?” You slowly whispered.

“We found them this morning in your trailer.” 

You let out a sigh of relief and leaned back in your chair, “Thank God. Are they okay? Where did they go?” You glanced at Doctor Thompkins but she looked away. 

“Not really, considering that they were stuffed in a closet.” Detective Gordon informed you, spreading pictures of their bodies on the table. 

With shaking hands you pulled the photos towards you, your eyes watering. “Oh my God.” You muttered, looking at picture after picture. Your sister’s dead eyes stared up at you and you let out a sob, “Oh my God.” You put a hand over your mouth and cried, looking up at the cop with watery eyes. “What happened to them?” 

Detective Gordon’s eyes hardened and he slammed his fists on the table, making you jump. “You happened. You killed them.”

Your mouth dropped and you shook your head, “Are you crazy? I didn’t do this!”

“Don’t try to deny it.” The cop scoffed, taking a seat in front of you again. “Jerome told us everything.” Your heart dropped into your stomach and you furrowed your brows, shaking your head again. “Your sister’s husband was getting too close, touching you just a little too much and you couldn’t take it. You told your sister and she didn’t do anything about it so it made you angry. She was too strict on you, she didn’t let you do anything. She was going to make you stop seeing Jerome so you flipped, stabbing both of them to death forty seven times.” 

Your lip trembled and you shook your head again, “You have to believe me. I-I-I would never kill my sister.” 

Detective Gordon pursed his lips in a straight line, “You would never kill your sister. What about her husband, huh? Did she wake up in the middle of you killing her husband? Did you have to quiet her down by stabbing her right through the heart?”

“Stop it!” You yelled, putting your hands to your ears. “I didn’t do it.”

“Oh yeah?” The cop sneered, “Then where were you two nights ago?”

Your eyes looked around frantically before you remembered and your face dropped, “I was with Jerome. I-I-I was scared to go home, because yeah the guy did touch me but my sister saw and blamed me! But I wouldn’t-!”

“So you were with Jerome the same day that he killed his mother?” 

“What?” You whispered, the tears falling like rain. 

“Jerome killed his mother that day and got into bed with you that night.” Detective Gordon stated before frowning, “But you already knew that.”

“I didn’t.” You insisted, repeating it louder. 

Detective Gordon stared at your for a moment before standing up from his seat and saying your full name, “You are under arrest.” He lifted you from your chair and placed handcuffs on your hands as he read you your rights. He led you out of the interrogation room and you averted your eyes in shame as everyone stared at you. You were put in a holding cell in front of the whole precinct, feeling eyes all over you. 

You looked around the police station and slowly sat on the metal bench in your cell, feeling yourself began to cry again.

Your sister was dead, you were alone in the world and you were going to jail. Jerome had told them that you killed your sister. Realization spread across your face and you began to cry harder, tucking your face into your knees. 

Jerome had killed your sister and blamed it on you. 

Why? Why? Why? Why would he do something like this to you? You were, admittedly, in love with the ginger. He told you he was yours. You comforted him when his mother abused him. You stitched him back together. You let him inside of you. You let him see you. And where was he now that you sat in a cell?

A part of you knew this would happen. You had seen it in his eyes from the first time he looked at you. He had damn near told you by reading your palm. He was a curse. The devil hidden under porcelain skin and green eyes. You hoped he would rot in hell and you’d be the one to send him there. Right there in that cell, with every cop in the building as your witness, you made a decision. You were not going to be weak anymore. 

By the time your actual trial rolled around weeks later, you were numb and blank faced. Your old personality before Jerome was back and not going anywhere. You wouldn’t smile, you wouldn’t frown, you wouldn’t cry, and you damn sure were not going to talk. 

_ Talking _ got you into this mess.  _ Smiling _ got you into this mess.  _ Crying _ was for the weak and you were not going to be weak anymore. 

When you stepped into that courtroom and stood in front of that judge, you felt nothing. You showed no remorse during the trial and the jury didn’t like it. Your whole life was presented before completely strangers and Leslie Thompkins spoke of you mental state. You looked at the blown up crime scene pictures with a blank face and when the judge asked you how you plead, you didn’t answer. 

At the end of the trial, you were found guilty of two counts of manslaughter and were sentenced to rehabilitation in Arkham Asylum. You didn’t bat an eye at the charge, even as you made eye contact with Doctor Thompkins. Her brown eyes watched you leave, her expression reading as sympathetic. If she really was any kind of doctor she would have seen that you weren’t guilty. 

But, like you had told yourself ages ago, no one was going to save you. The one person who you trusted was your downfall, after all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost done! If you want to read more about the Joker, go check out 'Baby'.


	10. Paying For The Poison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now I’m wide awakened and still paying for the poison they sold me.

Living in Arkham Asylum was pure hell. 

The guards didn’t care about the patients, the patients didn’t care about the guards and you were sure some of them were screwing. Lucky for you, you hadn’t met any crazies yet. You, being a murderer, were not allowed to socialize with the other patients for a whole month, as your new doctor wanted you to get used to the place first. You spent most of your days doing yoga and meditating, stretching your limbs high above your head to take your mind away from your situation. The guards found it funny that when they opened your cell to give you food, you were always twisted up like a pretzel. 

Speaking of guards, you were still not speaking. At all. You had taken a vow of silence until you were released. Though, no one knew that. They just thought you were mute. It added to your ‘lore’.

_ MUTE DOLL KILLS SISTER AND HUSBAND _

That’s what all the papers said about you. You had to admit it was eye catching, almost as eye catching as; 

_ CIRCUS KID KILLS MOTHER _

You hated to admit it but  _ his _ sounded better. Your face twitched as the ginger entered your mind and you changed your position, doing a handstand. You hadn’t seen  _ him _ in two whole months and for all you cared he could be dead. 

You tilted your legs down and rolled into a seated position, crossing your legs and holding yourself up by your hands. You let out a slow breath as the door opened, and you heard a quiet chuckle. 

“Come on, princess.” A guard uttered your new nickname, watching you flip onto your feet. “It’s time to play with the other children.” You scoffed and rolled your eyes, but raised your wrists anyway. Metal cuffs were placed around them and you were escorted out of your room, the big heavy door to your cell closing behind you. 

Walking through the halls of Arkham reminded you a lot of walking through the grounds of the circus. You always saw something strange; someone was always screaming, crying, or laughing. There were interesting characters in the asylum to say the least. If you were being honest, you were kind of looking forward to seeing what the commotion was about. 

You were brought to an empty cafeteria that they had dubbed the ‘recreation’ room. There were bars instead of doors and the guard behind you unlocked the bars before uncuffing you. “Play nice.” He snickered as he closed the entrance in your face. 

You turned around and faced the room full of patients, though you didn’t make eye contact with anyone. You saw an empty table and sat down at it, grabbing a magazine that was already there and flipping it open. As odd as it was, you had never seen a fashion magazine before. They weren’t allowed in your house, so the pictures genuinely intrigued you. You folded your legs under you on the bench and read through an article on diminishing your pores. As you got to the ‘New Face, New You!’ article, the bar door to the room opened and a group of people walked in, though you paid them no mind, instead burying your nose in the magazine. 

The murmuring and chatter to the side of you didn’t even reach your ears, you were so engrossed in your new reading. You were halfway through a quiz about your perfect prom date when someone sat across from you. 

“Hello gorgeous.” A voice greeted and you ignored it, trying to concentrate on your score. “Not much of a talker, huh?” Again, you ignored the person, hoping that they would get the hint and go away. “I’ll just tell you the deal. My friend over there, the distinguished gentleman on the left, likes you and wants to be your friend.” You rolled your eyes behind your magazine and flipped the page, boredly. “See his name is Richard Sionis and he’s a millionaire. Could buy you whatever you want, could  _ get _ you whatever you want. Arkham is kind of a dangerous place, but I’m sure you already knew that with the marks on your wrists, cupcake. Are those self inflicted or-!”

Your eyes narrowed and without thinking about your oath, you slammed the magazine down on the table and open your mouth to ream into the guy. When you stared into familiar green eyes and fiery red hair, your breath caught in your throat. You sat still for a second and watched the ginger’s eyes dilate, just in the way they used to.  

You slowly began to shake your head, your teeth clenching together. “Fucker.” You muttered inaudibly, speaking for the first time in months. “Mother fucker!” You suddenly exclaimed, reaching over the table and wrapping both your hands around his neck.

“Nice to see you too!” Jerome sputtered as you tried your best to squeeze the life out of him. You uncrossed your legs and lunged over the table, knocking him to the floor and straddling him. You balled your hands up into fists and punched him in the face repeatedly, angry tears rolling down your cheeks. All Jerome did was laugh under you, not even trying to block the hits. 

“You!” Punch. “Ruined!” Punch. “My!” Punch. “Life!” You shouted as the patients gathered around you and started to cheer; you didn’t hear any of it as you looked down at Jerome’s glimmering eyes. You reeled your fist back again and was about to hit him when he winked up at you and puckered his lips, “Pig!” You spat through your teeth, knocking him in his forehead so hard his head hit the tile with a crack. His eyes rolled closed and you stopped for a second, your brows furrowing. 

When you realized what you had done, you were being pulled up by two guards. You were forced to the table and a syringe was stuck in your neck. The last thing you remember seeing is the gray wall of the recreation room, then it all went black. 

You woke up in a room with concrete walls and a camera in the corner. You looked down at yourself and saw that a white straight jacket had been placed over your dress. Rolling your eyes, you rolled over to one of the walls and placed your feet on it, easily flipping yourself into a standing position. You walked over to the metal door of the cell and kicked it, “Hello?” You shouted, “Can anyone hear me?”

When you didn’t get an answer you sighed and raised one of your legs before dropping down in a seated position. You crossed your legs and leaned your head against the wall, beginning to chuckle. Your chuckle turned into a full out laugh as you thought about what you had done. 

Months of built up anger had come out in that recreation room and you weren’t sorry. As soon as you saw his eyes you wanted to kill him or at least maim him very badly. It was almost funny; a tiny thing like you knocking out six foot tall Jerome Valeska, but at that moment you felt stronger than you ever have. You snickered again at the feeling of his nose cracking against your fist, only for the laughter to stop when you thought about him winking at you. And his laugh, his stupid fucking laugh. You slumped against the wall and closed your eyes, trying to block out the sound. 

You heard the door open and footsteps pad over to you. A disappointed voice said your name and you rolled your eyes, squinting at your doctor. “I’m not sorry.” You spat, glaring. 

Dr. Williams frowned, crossing her arms. “Why did you attack a fellow inmate?”

“I hate him.” You muttered, turning your head and focusing your glare on the wall. “He’s the reason I’m in here.”

The doctor sighed, kneeling down to your level. “I thought we talked about not blaming others for our problems.”

You turned your head to her and narrowed your eyes, “I’m blaming him because it’s his fault.” You insisted, shaking your head, “All of this is his fault.”

Dr. Williams sighed, placing a hand on your shoulder, “You need to accept responsibility for your actions.”

You frowned and looked away from her, tears welling in your eyes. “I should have never spoken to him. I should have just walked away. My life wasn’t perfect but at least I was free…” Dr. Williams frowned and stood straight once again, leaving the room to give you some space.  

You allowed the tears to come, curling into yourself for comfort as feelings of dread filled your body. You sobbed into the concrete wall, not even flinching when the hard stone dug into your cheek. Long after your tears had dried, your lids began to feel heavy. You welcomed sleep with open arms. 

You were awakened suddenly when the metal door of your cell clanged shut. You breathed in sharply and turned your head, your blood running cold when you saw a bruised ginger.

“Well, well, well.” Jerome sung with a large grin. “Fancy seeing you here, Tweety.” You quickly turned your head away from him. “What? Cat got your tongue?” He mocked with a wink, sitting down in front of you. 

“How’d you get in here?” You whispered, swallowing. 

“I got connections, birdie.” The ginger cooed the name, shuffling closer to you. “Nice jacket ya got there.” 

“Shut up.” You snapped, rolling your eyes as he cackled. You finally turned your head to meet his gaze and was slightly taken aback at how intense those emerald orbs were. You had almost forgotten how pretty that shade of green was. You blinked and let out a quiet sigh, shaking your head. “I hate you.” You declared in an even tone, “With every fiber of my being I hate you. I hate your face. I hate your voice. I hate your laugh. I hate that I let you touch me. I hate that you opened me up and took every piece of me out and put yourself in.” Your lip trembled and your eyes started to water but you carried on, “You stole my life from me and as long as I’ve had to think of a reason why, I can’t. I blame myself because I knew, I saw it in your eyes and I ignored it… because I liked you and I believed everything you said. Not only have you ruined my life, you killed the only family I had.” 

Jerome, after everything you had said, only shrugged with a careless expression on his face, “I was only doing what you told me to. You said you wanted my help.” 

“Oh no,” You shook your head, “You aren’t going to put this on me. You know as well as I do that they were already dead when I said that.” You muttered, sniffling, “You remember that whole thing you said about me being smarter than everyone else except you?” You didn’t wait for an answer instead tilting your chin up, “You’re wrong. I am smarter than you and while you rot in this hole, I’m gonna get out and I’m gonna have a normal life.” You smiled spitefully, “While I’m out living, you’ll be here.” You sighed dreamily and tilted your head, “That’s what gets me through the day. Your little appearance may have set my plans back by a month but it was worth it to see your nose break under my fist.”

Jerome let out a quiet chuckle and in the blink of an eye, his fingers were wrapped around your throat and your head was forced back against the cement wall. You let out a quiet gasp and stared up at the ceiling blankly, your body twitching from the lack of oxygen. “That’s a nice plan you got there pretty bird.” He murmured, straddling your legs and hovering over your face. “You hate me so much Tweety. So, so much-!” You whimpered and his eyes narrowed, “I’m talking.” He snapped before knocking your head against the wall, “I did you a favor. I always keep my word and I  _ promised _ that I would free you. I  _ promised _ that I would kill for you. We were meant for each other birdie. I know you feel it too.” He looked to you for an answer and realized he was killing you. “Oh, sorry.” He let your throat go and you heaved, breathing in air. “Let’s not fight anymore, babe. We should call a truce.”

You narrowed your eyes and scoffed, “A truce?” You spat, “No. Absolutely not.” 

Jerome hummed and shrugged his shoulders, standing up and beginning to pace. “I could get you things in here that you wouldn’t imagine! I could protect you from Sionis, seeing as he has his eye on you and all.” He threw a knowing glance in your direction. 

“‘Eye on me’.” You repeated lowly, tensing up. You bit your lip and looked up at Jerome, seeing that he was watching you expectantly. “We don’t need a truce for that,” You started, stating confidently, “You wouldn’t let him touch me anyway.” 

“Oh?” The ginger raised an eyebrow with a smile, “How ya figure?”

“You still have it in your mind that I’m yours.” You muttered, shaking your head, “You’re not good at sharing.” 

Jerome narrowed his eyes, “Huh.” He chimed, shrugging, “You’re right, damn.” He snapped his fingers. “Okay, I got another proposition for ya.”

“No I have a proposition for you, Jerome.” You interjected and the ginger raised a brow, motioning for you to go on, “We don’t interact, at all. I go my way, you go yours.”

The pale boy clicked his teeth and kneeled down, his hands gripping your ankles as his eyes stayed on yours. He slowly began to trail his hands up your legs, going under the dirty black and white dress you were forced to wear and stopping at your thighs. You didn’t give anything away with your expression, though you couldn’t control the sigh that left your lips when he hooked his fingers under the bloomers they made you wear. He dragged them down your legs and bunched them in his hand, bringing the crotch up to his nose and taking a whiff. “If you don’t want to talk to me anymore,” He started lowly, forcing his hand up your dress again to bury it between your legs, “Why are you wet?” He laughed to himself and placed his mouth beside your ear, repeating the words from your first night together, “I didn’t even touch you yet.” 

“Don’t touch me.” You blurted, moving your head away from him. You closed your eyes tightly and shook your head, “I hate you.”

“You don’t.” Jerome breathed, burying his hand in your hair and forcing you to face him. “Look at me.” Afraid, you did what was asked of you, “I’d trade my life for yours. And yeah, my plan kinda went sideways, but I do have another one to get us out of here. Not as complex as your plan is but I would never leave you here. You think I betrayed you, but that was only because the stupid old man snitched on me. I couldn’t have you out there alone, so I told them that you killed your sister and that buffon. So we could be together, birdie. I did it all for you. I let you see me, the real me because you’re special. Together we could be so powerful, I have a vision and you’re a part of that. We could be Sylvester and Tweety. Like we used to be.”

“Sylvester tries to kill Tweety.” You reminded him with a frown. 

Jerome shrugged, “Yeah but he doesn’t. It’s a very yin and yang kind of thing. Sylvester would have no purpose without Tweety. Just as I would have no purpose without you. Come on, birdie. I can’t do this alone.”

The sincerity you saw in his eyes  _ almost _ got you. He  _ almost _ made you say yes. But then, your sister’s face came to your mind, wide eyed and bludgeoned hen soon after it was Miss Lila’s face. You felt yourself cry before you realized who was talking to you. “No.” You whispered with a frown, “No.” 

Jerome’s smile dropped and the door to the cell opened, a guard peeking his head in. The guard was speaking but you didn’t hear it, the only thing you were focused on were Jerome’s hard eyes. “Please don’t leave me alone.” He muttered to you as he was pulled up to his feet by the guard. “You’re all I can trust.” He continued louder as he was pulled out of your cell, “I can’t do this alone!” 

The door closed heavily, clanging against the walls. You stared at it for a long moment before the sobs bubbled up in your throat and you had to let them out. “I’m sorry.” You whispered to no one, though as you said it you were convincing yourself you made the right choice. 

The next few months passed without any incidents. You didn’t bother anyone and no one bothered you. You made carefully planned progress with your doctor and even had an epiphany; “I might not have killed my sister and brother in law, but it was my fault that they were dead.” Your psychiatrist was thrilled. To avoid having to go to the rec room for free time, you talked your doctor about working in the asylum’s library. The job turned out to be good for you as you got to read magazines and stay out of trouble. 

Since you were serious about going to college when you got out, you spent most of your time studying for your G.E.D. in the library. Infact, that’s where you were when six inmates were broken out of Arkham. It distressed you a bit, knowing that Jerome was somewhere out there in the world wreaking havoc on the poor citizens of Gotham. 

All of that changed one bright sunny morning. You had been escorted to the library as you usually were and was sitting behind the desk, flipping through the new issue of Vogue. You finished with the last page and put it aside, as newspapers were brought in by a guard. You signed for them and thanked him, before glancing at the front page and seeing Jerome’s picture. 

**JEROME VALESKA OF THE MANIAX, DEAD.**

Your heart dropped into your stomach and it felt like you were going to throw it up. You quickly untied the papers and unfolded one, reading the article quickly. He had been killed last night, stabbed in the neck by some brave citizen. 

“Well look at that.” You whispered, folding the paper. “Say hello to my sister for me, J.” You teased, letting a single tear fall down your cheek. “I hated you, but I didn’t want you dead. Unless I was the one to do it.” You bit your lip and shook your head, staring at nothing. “Since you’re dead now, I guess it’s safe to say that I’ll miss you, even though you were a manipulative, cunning, evil ginger.” You snorted as more tears came, “You were mine and I’ll miss you.”

The door alarm sounded and you glanced up, hurriedly wiping your eyes as your doctor walked into the room. 

“Dr. Williams.” You greeted with a practiced smile, “Are you looking for a book?”

The elder doctor shook her head with an odd smile, “Why don’t we sit down over here, huh?”

You nodded and walked from behind the desk, sitting down at one of the tables. You waited, for what seemed like ever, for her to talk but she just stared down at the table. A moment later, a guard came in and stood by the door, making you very nervous. 

“Am I in trouble?” You questioned and the doctor shook her head. 

“I’m sorry to tell you this,” Dr. Williams started, reaching over the table to grab your hand, “But Jerome is dead.” 

You stared blankly at her for a moment, a fake smile stuck on your face. When the full weight of her words hit you, your smile slowly fell and you let out a quiet sigh. “Okay.” 

“Are you alright?” Dr. Williams asked, her eyes searching your face, “Do you want to talk about it? Maybe take the day off?”

“No.” You whispered, getting up from the table, “Is that it?” 

The doctor furrowed her eyebrows, “I thought you would be more upset by this.” 

“Jerome was a bad person,” You muttered, with a tight smile, “Him not being in the world means that people are safe and honestly, it’s a relief to not have to live in his shadow.” Your words were exactly what Dr. Williams wanted to hear and she beamed at you, saying her goodbyes and leaving with the guard in tow. Later on, when you were alone in your cell, you sobbed into your pillow. 

Several months later, you got good news; Dr. Thompkins, the original doctor who was there for your interrogation had opened your case up again. Turns out, she never believed that you were apart of Jerome’s plan. After some investigating and a new interview recounting the events surrounding the murders, you were going to be set free, with a sizable settlement from the Gotham Police precinct for erroneously convicting you of a crime you didn’t commit. The funny thing was, Dr. Thompkins was reminded of you because Jerome took her hostage the night he was killed. So he really did trade his life for yours in a way.

On August 23rd, you walked out of Arkham Asylum for good and smelled fresh air for the first time in a year. 


	11. Pain Play Fair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No way to make the pain play fair, it doesn't disappear just because you say it isn't there, so...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentines Day! It's done, I hoped you enjoyed my venture back into Jerome! Go on my [fanfiction tumblr](http://deepett.tumblr.com/) and tell me what you thought!

Your foot tapped impatiently against the floor of the lecture hall as the professor’s voice echoed throughout the room. You chewed on top of your pen and your mind was blank as he told you your assignment.

You gathered all of your things and stuffed them into your messenger bag, putting your buds into your ears to drown out the voices of your classmates. You shrugged the bag on your shoulder and walked out of the classroom, putting your hands in the pockets of your sweatshirt. You ignored the stares, like you did everyday, and walked to your next class, sliding into a seat in the very back of the room. 

On campus you were kind of infamous. ‘That girl who escaped Arkham’, ‘the girl who survived Jerome Valeska’, no one really knew your name; they just knew what happened to you. The incident from a year ago that you would have loved to forget, if only they would let you. 

You had used the settlement granted to you to rent an apartment and enroll at Gotham University. It wasn’t Harvard, but Lee pulled some strings and got you a scholarship. The doctor felt sorry for you, going as far as inviting you over for dinner every night, but she vanished one day. You only got an explanation a couple weeks later, when she called you from her new home in North Carolina. She had lost a baby and despite your ill feelings towards her, you did feel sorry for her, plus she made the best casseroles. 

You got another call last month from Lee, saying that she was back in Gotham and asking you to stop by. You did and met her wonderful husband Mario. Lee surprised you by asking you to be in her wedding as a bridesmaid and you sobbed right there at the table. The wedding never happened, due to an annoying Jim Gordon killing the groom. 

The point of it all was that you and Lee remained close. She was like an aunt or the sister that you always deserved but never got. Now that she was alone to, she didn’t have to force you to eat dinner with her; you went voluntarily. You even visited her at work sometimes, when the stares got to be too much, like at this very moment when a boy dressed in black wouldn’t stop gazing at you. 

In an odd twist, Jerome had developed a cult like following after his death. You were tricked into going to one of their gatherings once. You were fine, until a projected video of him at the police station played, then you passed out. 

“You knew Jerome, huh?” He whispered, leaning over his desk to get to you. 

You didn’t reply, instead just staring ahead and continuing to take notes. 

“I heard that you two were secretly married, is that true?” You whipped your head to the right and mustered up the most murderous glare you could, narrowing your eyes. To your annoyance, that only made the guy’s smile widen. “Oh, you two were definitely together!” He exclaimed quietly, leaning closer to you, “What was he like?” 

You huffed and closed your notebook, stuffing it in your tote along with your pen. You stood up and hastily walked out of the room, ignoring the odd looks from your classmates. Once you were in the hallway you took a deep breath, running a hand through your hair. You tried to slow down the impending panic attack by closing your eyes and focusing on your breathing, and once you got yourself under control you hurriedly left the campus.

You walked your way to the Gotham Police precinct, headphones in your ears to calm your nerves. You passed a graffiti drawing of a huge red smile and turned away from it quickly, picking up your pace. 

You got to the police precinct in record time, opening the door and going straight to the medical labs. You walked into Lee’s lab, but she wasn’t there, though a body was on the exam table. You put your bag down by the door and took the buds out of your ears, sitting in Lee’s desk chair to wait for her. 

While you sat there, you couldn’t help but stare at the covered body. Sometimes you would sit in on Lee’s autopsies, at first it weirded you out but after awhile it started to intrigue you. You were currently in a forensics class, so to actually see it in person was a huge help. 

You glanced at the door and bit your lip, slowly standing up from the chair and padding over to the table. You pulled the sheet back little by little, afraid of what you’d see but also intrigued. You uncovered ginger hair and you paused, furrowing your brows. Despite the warning your brain was giving you, you pulled the sheet back further.

Your breath caught in your throat and your hands began to shake. It felt like a cruel joke, like a laugh track was being played from the depths of hell. The face was bloody and disfigured but you would recognize it anywhere. 

Your face crinkled in a grimace, “What the-!” Your name was shouted from behind you but you didn’t get to turn around, as your eyes rolled back and you fainted. 

When you opened your eyes, you were in your living room. You looked around the dark space, breathing heavily. You ran a hand through your hair and frowned; was it all a dream? You sighed and grabbed your house phone, dialing Lee’s work number. The phone rang and rang, but it just went to voicemail. You tried to call again but there was still no answer. 

“Shit.” You muttered, hanging the phone up. You got up from the couch and began to pace, the image of Jerome’s marred face in the forefront of your mind. You put a hand over your mouth and shook your head, padding to your small bathroom. 

You ran yourself a bath and made sure to add lots of bubbles, then lit candles. You stripped down and twisted your hair into a knot at the top of your head, before sinking down into the water. You leaned your head against the tile and closed your eyes, trying not to think about it. 

Seeing his face brought back feelings that you tried so hard to forget. The scary thing about it was that not all of the emotions were bad. You hated yourself for it, but sometimes you would dream that you were back at the circus, everyone was still alive but you and Jerome were happy together. You wished with all your heart that you wouldn’t wake up but you always did. Other dreams were of Jerome locking you in a box or tying you to a pole then setting you on fire like a witch, cackling all the way. It terrified you. 

“He’s dead.” You whispered, just to say it out loud. “He’s dead and he won’t hurt you.” 

You lost track of time in that warm bath and the smell of vanilla did help calm your nerves. Your closed your eyes again and lulled your head back, allowing yourself to fall asleep. 

When you woke up, the lights were cut and only the dim lights of candles illuminated the room. You furrowed your brows and drained the water from the tub, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around yourself. You stepped out of the tub and flicked the light switch on and off but to no avail. 

The lights were out. 

You rolled your eyes, thinking that it was just your building acting up again. You dried yourself off and dressed in a black bodysuit and an old ratty pair of overalls, slipping comfy socks on your feet. You grabbed a flashlight and walked into your living room, plopping down on the couch. You placed the flashlight on the table with the light up to illuminate the room, then began to stretch. It was an old habit, but it calmed you. 

You got up from the couch and reached high to the ceiling, before bending backward. You flipped your legs into the air and held yourself up by your forearms, using your feet to touch your head. You put your feet in the air again and split them in half, twisting your body. Just as you flipped yourself on your feet, a knock sounded at your door. 

“Finally.” You muttered, cracking your neck. You padded to the door and unlocked the door, opening a little to peek through the crack. You saw a police hat and sighed in relief, sliding the chain to the side and opening your door fully. “Did Lee send you?” You questioned, rolling your eyes. “I’m fine, really. I just was… lightheaded.”

The policeman slowly looked up at you and you furrowed your brows, seeing cuts and bruises on his face. “Jesus,” You whispered with a grimace, “What happened to-!” Green eyes. Pale skin. Your world went silent and all you could think was ‘Run’. You pushed the door closed and did just that, running into your apartment. You ran into your room and looked around, freezing when you heard that echoing laugh. You looked to your closet before deciding that it was too obvious, but your eyes feel on your hamper. You could fit in a hamper. 

As fast as you possibly could, you tucked your legs into the hamper, settling on your dirty clothes, and sunk down, placing the wicker top over your head. You held your breath and waited, your eyes frantically trying to see between the wicker basket threads. 

“Come out, come out, wherever you are.” 

Your heart was beating into your ears and you were trying your best not to breathe. Tears fell down your cheeks uncontrollably and you didn’t know how long you were sitting there. A gunshot sounded through the silence and you jumped, letting out a quiet whimper. 

“Ah ha.” A raspy voice sounded not too far from you. “I found you.” He sung and before you could scream you were yanked from the hamper and thrown on the floor. Your lip trembled as you looked up and a gun was pressed against your forehead. “Well, well, well.” He chimed, licking at his scared lips, “Looky who it is.” You bit your lip to keep a sob from coming out, your eyes running over his face. It seemed to be stapled back to its original place, but there were angry red lines around his eyes. His mouth was almost grotesque, spreading wide in a forever smile. “Do you remember me?” The boy questioned, flashing his teeth at you. You nodded silently, a tear falling down your face. “What’s my name, gorgeous?”

You swallowed and tried to catch your breath, whimpering when the gun was knocked against your head. “Jerome.” You finally whispered and the gun was removed from your forehead, instead moving down your cheek. 

The named boy groaned obscenely, kneeling down to your level and looking over your face. “Still pretty, birdie.” He muttered, flicking his tongue out at you. You backed away slightly and he snickered, grabbing you and tugging you to his body. “I know, I know.” He trailed with a laugh, “The old mug is a little beaten up, but I’m still Jerome. I’m still your dear old...what did we used to call ourselves? My head’s still a little foggy.” 

You sniffed and blinked your tears away, “Sylvester and Tweety.” You informed him, yelping when he pushed you on the bed.

“Sylvester and Tweety!” The ginger cheered, dropping the gun. “Ah I remember those days! I was an annoying little scamp. Bright eyed and bushy tailed, always looking for his precious bird.” He choked on the last word, his face twitching. 

You sat up on the bed and crossed your legs under you, brushing the tears from your face as you tilted your head in confusion. “What’s wrong with you?” You blurted before you could stop yourself.

“I was dead a couple hours ago.” Jerome rasped with a cough, “But now I’m like a spring chicken, ready and willing.” He winked at you as he tugged his jacket down, “You gotta fill in a few things for me gorgeous, because the only thing I remember is adoring you. So what’s your deal?” 

“What?” You questioned, furrowing your brows. “You don’t remember?” 

“Obviously.” The ginger rolled his eyes, sitting on the chest in front of your bed and putting his chin in his hand, “ I remember small things, like how I called you ‘birdie’ and how soft your skin was but I’m kinda fuzzy on everything else. Though, I think I jacked off to your hair ribbon once. Tell me the story, Tweety.” 

“Um,” You muttered, placing your hands in your lap, “Well it’s kinda long.” You informed him and he just waved his hand in the air. “Okay, uh. We were neighbors at the circus and you were obsessed with me, though I didn’t trust you.” He snorted in response to your statement, “Somehow, you convinced me to be your friend. I used to… patch you up when Lila would hit you and sometimes you would even stay at my house to avoid her. We were best friends but,” You paused and looked away from his eyes, instead focusing on your lap, “I didn’t know… Well I always said I didn’t know but I did know how you…  _ felt _ about me. But I thought it was sweet and eventually, I started feeling that way about you.” 

“Did we…” Jerome trailed before raising his eyebrows. 

“Yeah.” You answered shortly, before adding, “We did. Like, twice.” 

“I think I remember that…” The ginger chimed, his eyes dazed, “I made you cum three times.” 

Despite yourself, you snorted, rolling your eyes. “ _ Anyway _ , everything was fine until we spent one night together and I told you about how my sister’s husband had…  _ touched _ me and you got mad. We had sex and fell asleep, but I didn’t know that your mom was in the closet dead and somewhere between night and morning, you killed my sister and her husband.” You recounted, looking back at him. His eyes were intense and he licked at the side of his mouth, humming for you to continue, “You told the police that I did it and I went to Arkham.” 

“But you’re not there now.” Jerome noted, raising a brow, “Did you escape, pretty bird?”

You shook your head, “I was let out. After you died, Lee opened up my case again because she never believed that I did it.” You paused, biting your lip before leaning forward and lowering your voice, “Do you remember what you told me before you left?” You questioned, “The last time I ever saw you?” He shook his head and your heart sunk into your stomach. 

“Enlighten me.” 

“You said,” You cleared your throat, trying to push back the tears. You began to explain, “I was so angry at you for what you did to me. I wanted you dead but then… You offered to help me, you said that you would trade your life for mine. But I still told you no.” You were crying again but you pushed through your sobs, “The guard came and as they dragged you out you were begging. You said that I was all you can trust and that you couldn’t do this alone. I didn’t know what you meant, I didn’t even know that I would never see you again, but I’ve thought about it for the last year of my life and it still bothers me.” You admitted, sniffling, “And you can’t even remember.” 

Jerome stared hard at you for a long moment, not moving from his spot. He narrowed his eyes at you and you looked away, wiping your eyes. 

“Shit.” The curse made you look up at him again, “I remember you.” He sneered, as much as he could, that smile still cut into his face, “You broke my heart, bird.” 

“You broke my heart first, Jerome.” You whispered, wiping your eyes. “I loved you.” You told the ginger, closing your eyes and shaking your head, “I loved you with everything I could, I gave you everything I could but you still were able to ruin me. I loved you despite it all because you need it. You had no one and neither did I but all of a sudden we had each other. I wanted to believe you, I wanted to believe that you would never do something like that to  _ me _ . To your birdie. But you did.” 

“Wow this is heavy.” Jerome uttered, the sound of a switchblade making you open your eyes. “Let’s lighten the mood, shall we?” He declared before putting a hand to your throat and pushing you back on the bed. He climbed on top of you and held the knife against your throat, pressing it against your skin until it stung, only for him to pull it away with a groan, “I’m conflicted, tweets. A part of me really wants you dead but the other part wants to keep you as a pet.” You sniffed, terrified. “It’s odd, maybe even  _ crazy _ but there’s something about your  _ pain _ … I don’t like it.” 

You looked up in surprise as he got off of you, pulling you up with him. “You’re not going to kill me?” You muttered, wiping your nose. 

Jerome rolled his eyes, “Don’t sound so thrilled, sunshine.” He picked up his pistol from the ground and cocked it, pointing it towards you. “If you’re so keen on dying, I’m happy to oblige.” You pouted and shook your head, sitting on the edge of the chest. The ginger squinted his eyes at you and licked his lips, dropping the gun once again. “Well I just remembered something else…” He hissed, slowly walking towards you. 

“O-o-oh yeah?” You whispered, not liking how he looked at you. 

“Yeah.” He echoed in a rasp, grabbing a hold of both your ankles and yanking you forward. He got on his knees and spread your legs wide, running his rough hands against your skin. 

“J…” You murmured, gripping the bed behind you, “Wa-!”

“Oh how I missed that sound.” Jerome groaned, marveling at the feeling of you, “Like a bird chirping, I  _ love _ it.” He nipped at one of your knees and you jumped, trying to get away from him. “Stop moving, birdie.” He sneered before his eyes lit up, “Or I’ll get the rope.” That effectively shut you up and your lip trembled as he roughly spread your legs. He licked his lips and mewled, breathing you in through your overalls. “I bet you taste like candy.” He murmured, repeating the same words from the first night the two of you spent together. The ginger flicked open his knife again and cut the denim fabric, along with your panties. 

Jerome stuck his tongue out and teasingly ran it up your cunt, stopping just before your clit. “I was  _ right _ .” He hissed with a snicker, before burying his head into you. You let out a surprise cry and gripped the edge of the bed, fighting the urge to wrap your legs around him. His lips were rough and scarred against you but it only heightened the feeling, not to mention you hadn’t been touched since that day in his trailer. Jerome groaned which every stroke of his tongue and you briefly caught a glance at him palming himself through his pants. 

The ginger’s mouth suddenly left your cunt and he was above your face in a quick moment. A hand was at your throat and another stroked your clit. “Tell me you missed me.” He muttered over your lips, his fingers increasing their pace. You looked into his green eyes and stayed silently, grimacing as he squeezed your throat. “Say it.” He snapped.

“I missed you.” 

“Tell me you  _ need _ me.” Jerome hissed, his nails digging into the tender skin of your neck. 

“I need you.” You choked out, gasping as he rammed two fingers into you. Jerome finger fucked you for a couple of minutes, watching your face. You bit your lip to keep from moaning but he forced one out of you, hooking his fingers up and dragging them out slowly. You whined and he sneered at you, choking you harder. 

“Beg me.” Jerome demanded, his pupils blown. 

“No.” You whispered back, gagging as he tightened his hold. 

The ginger narrowed his eyes and buried his fingers within you. He pulled them out completely before shoving them back in, over and over again. “You stupid slut,” He spat, pushing you back on the bed. “Beg. Me.” You said nothing, closing your eyes as you tried to stop yourself from coming. He let go of your neck but the feeling of something sharp was at your throat. “Beg for your life then, bitch.”

Your eyes flew open and you frowned, your eyes fluttering as the blade was pressed tighter against your neck. You opened your mouth to speak but couldn’t get the words out, a loud moan coming from you instead. You were coming all over his fingers and you couldn’t hold it anymore. You threw your head back in a silent scream, your hips jutting up to meet his hand. “J.” You stammered out as he fucked you through it, the knife still at your neck. Your hands clutched him to you as you tried to catch your breath, your body still shaking. 

“Fuck…” Jerome breathed, his eyes shining. “That was arousing.” Your face was flushed and your chest heaved with every breath. “Well now I know that I can’t kill ya, you’re too pretty.”

“Shut up.” You whispered breathlessly and he cackled at you, moving the knife. 

“And funny too.” He added, winking at you. The ginger checked his bare wrist as if he was wearing a watch, “Well this was fun and all but I’m behind schedule.” You furrowed your brows and tried to sit up, but was pushed back down. “Count to thirty and don’t move, birdie. If ya do, well, ya know the rest.” 

You blinked at the ceiling and felt him get off of you, your cunt still uncomfortably wet. You heard him whistle and cock his gun, “I don’t hear you counting, Tweety.” 

“One.” You immediately chimed making him laugh. “Two…”

“I’ll be back for ya later, gorgeous. Don’t leave your apartment until the morning and don’t open the door for anyone. There’s a little ah…  _ party _ going on outside.” Jerome called as he left the room. A gunshot sounded in your living room, “Don’t hear ya counting!” 

“THREE!” You shouted loudly, hearing footsteps get further away. “FOUR! FIVE!” When you got to fifteen your front door shut and you stopped, hurriedly getting up from the bed and double bolting your door. You tried the lights again but they didn’t work, meaning that the power was still out. 

You ran back to your bedroom and closed your door, locking it also, then you opened your closet doors, sitting on the ground and closing them. Sirens were going off outside and random gunshots were way too close to your window. 

You knew it was going to be a long night.

When the morning came, you were awakened by the sound of your door being busted open. You began to shake and pressed yourself against the closet wall, holding your breath. A few moments passed and a shadow came in front of your closet. The doors were shoved open and a gun was in your face, but it wasn’t a ginger wielding it; it was Jim Gordon.

The detective put the gun down when he saw you, yelling for Lee. The doctor ran in the room and bent down to your level, gathering you in her arms. “Oh thank God.” 

As soon as she embraced you, tears poured from your eyes. “H-h-h-he came here!” 

“Are you hurt?” Lee pulled back and examined you, her eyes sweeping over your body. She saw your ripped overalls and frowned. “Did he…”

“I just want to get out of here.” You whispered, too ashamed to admit the truth. Lee helped you get dress and Gordon drove the both of you to her house. 

You stared at the fireplace blankly, now dressed in a borrowed pair of pajamas. Your legs were crossed under you and a cup of tea was on the table. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Lee sit down across from you. 

There you were with a sister, a real sister that was gifted to you by unfortunate circumstances, and a pain in your belly. Confusion danced around your mind like you used to do around the ring and your lips were in a fine line. 

“Do you ever stop loving someone?” You questioned aloud, watching the reds and oranges of the fire. 

Lee stared at your face for a moment before shaking her head, looking down at her mug, “No.” 

“Will it ever get better?” You then asked, biting your lip. 

“I…” Lee murmured before staring at the fire too, “I don’t know.” 

Your eyes flickered to her face then returned to the fire as they started to water. You hated the feeling and you were repulsed by it but you loved Jerome. 

He ruined your life, threatened you, stole your family from you but… You still loved him and you didn’t know if you would ever stop. 

You wiped your eyes and looked around Lee’s living room, your eyes falling on the pretty woman. She smiled lightly at you and you smiled back, before looking down at yourself. Your life now was fine, you could even say it was better but sometimes you did miss it all. 

Rehearsing, performing, flipping, dancing, going to the well, and sitting on your perch. But most of all it seemed, you missed that nice red-headed boy that lived in the trailer next to yours. That would sneak cigarettes and help you get water from the well. That used to stare at you when he thought you couldn’t see him. That had a laugh that made you feel warm inside. That you loved. 

You missed all of it and if you could, you’d try to get it back. 

_ Let me paint a picture for you then I’ll have to teach you to see it _ __  
_ Illustrate the remnants of the life I used to live here in Eden _ __  
_ Rolled a lucky pair of dice, _ __  
_ Ended up paradise  _ _  
_ __ Landed on a snake’s eyes, took a bite and ended up bleeding

 

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Anniversary my Jerome girls!
> 
> Follow me on my [fanfiction tumblr](http://deepett.tumblr.com/) , I answer questions and stuff and things.


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